Fight Like This
by Karin-Sama3
Summary: While Adrien recovers from a serious illness, Plagg is entrusted to another Chosen - one with deep scars and deeper secrets. Meanwhile, Ladybug regrets just how much she took Chat Noir for granted now that he's been replaced with this bossy imposter, Chat Noveau.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I was dragged into this because my eight-year-old daughter started watching this show on Netflix. At first, I listened to it from another room. Then I started watching my two-year-old son punch the air whenever Chat yelled Claws Out! Soon, I found myself standing near the sofa for minutes at a time, and now, at long last, I'm watching entire episodes late at night on my phone after all three of my kids are asleep. I'd be embarrassed about it, but why?

So here's the thing about this story. While I was watching the Christmas Special with my girl, I started telling her about how close Adrien was to becoming a villain himself. She mentioned that he needed his mother (because she's sweet like that). When I pointed out that his mother was absent, she said that it didn't have to be his real mother - just someone needed to stand in and be one. "But what about Ladybug or Marinette?" No, she answered. It had to be someone older - a Mother.

I asked her more questions - she started giving me extremely sophisticated answers. I got out a notebook. I asked about her mother figure - what did she look like. What would she do if she found Adrien here in the courtyard? Should she know his secret? My girl recaptured the first bit of the Christmas special and then went on with her own story. I jotted down what she said and typed it up after she went to bed. The words are mine, but the idea for this story is completely hers. It may not be finished - she may lose her interest in deciding how she wants it to go before it truly ends, but I loved it enough that I wanted to put it out there. I will keep asking her questions and typing her answers. What do you think?

Fight Like This

"He's not coming, is he?" He asked, unsuccessfully keeping his tone neutral. He knew he shouldn't be disappointed, that he shouldn't have had the expectation in the first place. But it was Christmas Eve.

"Maybe give him a few more minutes?" Nathalie suggested, her tone and posture perfectly neutral. Sometimes Adrien wondered if she weren't actually a sophisticated robot. He sniffled, swallowing hard, and let the ornament in his hand droop, thinking momentarily of just sitting down right there on the floor as if he were five. Here he was, putting in all the effort when he felt horrible, to give his father some pretense of a family, and he wasn't there. Again.

"Forget it," he muttered, shivering at the chill his bodyguard let in as he opened the door. "I'll be in my room."

A meaty hand on his shoulder paused him, a purple and gold gift appearing under his gaze. He accepted it with an automatic thanks before continuing up the stairs. He dropped the gift unceremoniously on his bedspread before collapsing onto it himself, gasping a bit when the bed didn't feel quite as soft as he thought it should, curling up against the ache in his joints. He'd woken up cold, dizzy, sore, and inexplicably sad that morning, but he'd been ignoring it all day as he did his best to put together Christmas for his father. If anyone had noticed him being more forcefully festive than usual, it hadn't been mentioned. Not that it had mattered.

"Adrien?" His name came hesitantly and quietly, a whirring near his ear. He closed his eyes, burying his face in his pillow. Usually when his kwami tried to comfort him, it ended in an insult or a less than subtle hint for cheese. And he knew he'd already supplied him with more than enough disgusting Camembert to last him through New Year's Eve. Best to not let him start. He didn't want to snap at him; he'd technically done nothing to deserve it.

"He's just thinking of himself," he said, without preamble, melding his disappointment into the protectiveness of anger. "When is this day going to be over? Christmas is the worst." The tiny black spirit who shared his life hovered sympathetically near him, for once keeping his mouth shut. He looked on Adrien with pity, turning his blood cold. He was done. Done with waiting. Done with feeling like this. Just done.

"If he's not coming," Adrien said, sitting up with difficulty, taking several seconds to let his vision clear before looking at the snow falling out his window. "Then let's go out."

"No, Adrien," Plagg protested so quickly, placing his tiny hands on Adrien's temple. Adrien shuddered at the touch, surprised. Plagg was usually against unnecessary effort, but not quite this much. "You need to stay here and rest."

"This is the last place I want to be," Adrien pouted, still staring past the window as if he were already outside.

"It's not a good idea," continued the spirit. "You'll feel better for a while, but it'll make it worse."

"I don't care."

"But you will. Adrien, please, let's get you in bed, ok? You're sick."

"You're not," Adrien countered, knowing how he could borrow strength and skill from Plagg, use his energy to drown his own pain. How much he wanted that right now. "Plagg –"

"Don't do that!" Plagg squeaked, speaking rapidly, trying to get his message across before Adrien completed his catchphrase for a transformation. "Not to me, not to yourself. It'll catch up to you after; it'll be horrible. You could -."

"Claws out!"

Plagg shrieked again, but had no choice anymore. The Miraculous inhaled the spirit and sprouted dark energy, coating Adrien in powerful black. Mask, ears, tail, gloves and best of all, partial relief. He took an experimental deep breath, delighted that the dizziness was gone, the chill, the ache. His physical discomforts faded, pushed way down from his new senses, heightened hearing, balance, and Adrenaline. Oh, it was good!

Chat Noir made quick work of opening his window, leaping out and perching on his balcony railing. The cold air hit him sharply in the face, and he breathed it in deep. He was free! But where to go?

At first, he just ran without thought, tearing across the rooftops of Paris at a full sprint, leaping across the buildings using his spinning baton to hover him over the longer jumps. Full tilt. Nothing held back. Just wind and speed and numbness. Unconsciously, he pulled to a stop in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery, cheerily illuminating the night. From his vantage point on a chimney, he could see straight into the family's living room, see his classmate Marinette sandwiched between her parents, each holding a steaming mug and laughing, the light pouring out. Chat felt a hitch in his chest, something heavy piercing into him. They were so happy together. He turned away.

There were others. As he started paying attention, visions hit him at every turn. Chloe sitting with her father enjoying dinner, Alya playing on the floor with her little sisters. Lovers kissing under mistletoe. A father holding his tiny son up to see the lights of their Christmas tree. Everyone smiling. Everyone with someone they loved at their side. But not him.

The injustice of it burned. The loneliness settling in his head and chest just like his illness. But for this pain he couldn't use an ancient incantation. So he moved, trying to outrace it, outdistance it, somehow leave it behind. It wasn't fair! Why did he have to be the only one alone tonight? Didn't he deserve some of what he saw all around him? The sacrifices he made for his father, for all of Paris, would it never come back to him? And the worst, the very worst, was how no one could even see him now. His father didn't know he was missing from his room. The windows he peered in didn't notice the stray Chat just outside. He was invisible from thought and memory.

He caught a spark of anger and blew into it as he ran, cradling it and feeding it until it was full fire rage. And by the time he hit the square in front of the hotel, he could feel nothing but the unpredictable, uncontrolled rush of it. Looking down from the roof, through the falling snowflakes, he saw the Christmas tree, lovingly decorated by Parisians at the Festival of Lights a few days ago on the Solstice. The darkest night. Adrien had wanted to go, but his father had not allowed it. The sight of it now unhinged him. If he couldn't have Christmas, one night where he could feel appreciated and loved, then he wasn't going to let anyone else enjoy it either.

With the help of his baton, he jumped from the roof to the snowy yard by the tree, breathing hard and furious, intent on burning it to the ground.

"Cataclysm!" He shouted, curling his right hand into a fist as dark energy began sparking from it.

Valerie Champlain was watching the snow fall in the courtyard around the Christmas tree, a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, teacup in hand. Her eve had been peaceful, but she'd been brought to the window by a familiar tingling of energy. Something bad was about to happen; she knew it. She often had these twinges right before the news broke out of an akuma attack on Paris, a remnant of a memory. When she'd turned on the television, however, the only story revolved around the disappearance of the Agreste boy, Adrien.

Still, she wasn't surprised at all to see Chat Noir on the rooftop of Le Grand Paris Hotel, figuring he could be on scene before anyone even knew they were in danger. She couldn't tell what he was looking at; everything seemed so calm around him. Yet even from her ground floor apartment, she could see the tenseness in him. He was undoubtedly in battle; she just couldn't see with what. She also couldn't see Ladybug anywhere. Whatever Chat was fighting, he was doing it alone.

She startled as he leaped from the roof, squinting as she heard him invoke a cataclysm. Where was his enemy? Where was his teammate? The twinge turned into something urgent. Valerie grabbed her cane and did her best to hurry outside. Something was wrong.

She was on the edge of the yard as Chat Noir stretched out his hand to the enormous Christmas tree, which stopped her short. What was he doing? She opened her mouth to call to him, to stop him, realizing before she said anything that maybe this wasn't the real Chat. Perhaps this was a villain made to look like him. Or maybe he was the real one, but akumatized. She shuddered at how horrible that would be.

But then he stopped, suddenly enough that she wondered if he'd done it himself or if he'd run into something unseen, inches from the branches.

"I can't do it!" She heard him yell in a painful tone of voice, raw and harsh and hateful. He grabbed his own wrist, fighting something in himself, turning his head desperately in a search for what to do with his collected energy now that it was in his hand. In the end, he reached for a kiosk with an advertisement featuring the missing Agreste teenager posted on the side of it. It turned to black ashes and crumbled in pieces in the snow. Valerie stood transfixed and confused. She'd known about the power of the Chat Noir Miraculous, but she'd never seen it this close. What would it do to a person to have that kind of destructive power? Only the brightest souls can carry the darkness, she remembered. That's why she hadn't taken it herself. Maybe this soul hadn't been bright enough?

He had his arms wrapped around himself now, turning away from what he'd done to the kiosk. All his energy and fury had drained from him and he just looked sad and tired. On the verge of giving up. Valerie started moving toward him again, her intentions changed, when his knees hit the snow. His back curled over in defeat and suddenly the blackness of him receded, pulling off of him like someone removing a veil, tucking into the ring on his right hand as if it had never existed. The ring twinkled once and then the kwami of the Miraculous dropped also into the snow, a tiny ball of shivering misery. Valerie gripped her shawl tightly, realizing that she'd just found the missing Agreste boy. He'd been given a Miraculous? He was Chat Noir? It seemed unnaturally cruel. What was the Guardian thinking?

"Plagg!" Valerie caught the name of the spirit as the boy who was Chat Noir called it. He moved about the tiny dark form in distress, shifting Valerie's inspection. The kwami was not moving, all its energy spent, but surely Chat Noir would know that a cataclysm would do that. There shouldn't be a reason to be so upset. Unless something else was wrong.

"What have I done?" Adrien asked himself as the cold and dread and pain hit him all at once after transforming. He knew instantly what Plagg had been trying to warn him against in his room. Even though he couldn't feel his body the same way as Chat, it didn't mean that there weren't consequences. He'd pushed himself far too hard, forcing Plagg to make up the difference to keep him moving. Now his chest and throat were burning; his muscles stabbing with pain at intervals. He could barely see past the dizziness. He could hardly breathe for the cold. And Plagg. The dark kwami lie prone on the snow, twitching, eyes closed. With badly shaking hands, Adrien scooped him up, feeling how limp he was now.

"I'm so sorry, Plagg," he apologized. "I'll make it right."

"Adrien," Plagg sputtered, weary, impossibly concerned, hugging Adrien's thumb as if he were the one in need of reassurance. Why hadn't he listened to him? "We need to find . . . oh, you look awful. We need . . .I don't know where he is, though. I knew this would be bad, and I can't . . can't help you. We need to . . hurry."

Adrien blinked as he tried to piece together what Plagg was trying to say. Who did they need to find? Was the kwami stuttering or was he not focusing right? Everything hurt so much; his head was too fuzzy to think. But he couldn't stay here.

"Boy."

The unexpected voice startled him enough that he had to put one hand down on the ground to keep steady, whimpering a bit when the abrupt motion jolted his bones. He'd never thought that anyone would be out tonight; everyone seemed so cozy with their loved ones. Carefully, he turned to the side and saw a woman standing a few meters from where he knelt. His system flooded with guilt and fear. How long had she been standing there? What had she seen? He made to stand up, to run with Plagg, but without Chat Noir's strength and stamina, he had absolutely no energy left. He winced as he fell hard on his side, cradling the kwami against his chest. Immediately, he went to sit up, to try again to get away, but before he could gather himself enough for a second attempt, a gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

"Stop," she said, and the sweet, concerned tone of her command made Adrien's eyes sting. He looked up into her face, surprised by the scar that cut its way down the left side of it, forehead, eye, cheek and chin. The eye was blind, milky white and filmed. She looked as though she normally wore her dark hair so that it covered the disfigurement as much as possible, but the winter wind was blowing it out of her face now. The hand that held the cane was missing two fingers, the others curled into a claw. Adrien could tell that once she had been beautiful; she was still lovely in a sad way, but whatever had damaged her face had taken part of her soul with it.

"Come on," she encouraged, still gentle, watching him stare at her mutilation without embarrassment.

"Did you see?" Adrien rasped, transfixed and frightened. Not of her but of what she might have just witnessed. Plagg was still curled up in his hands, hidden from view but he wouldn't be if Adrien tried to stand up again. The stranger looked around her, checking to make sure they were alone, then studied him, as if making a decision whether to lie to him or not.

"Yes," she finally said, sorrowfully.

Adrien felt panic squeeze his already tight lungs. She'd seen him. Seen what he'd done. Seen who he was! He awkwardly pushed off his knees, keeping Plagg curled in one hand, at last coming to his feet, standing hunched in front of her, panting and shaky.

"Hold on," she pacified, reaching out with one hand as if she could stop him from leaving. "I'm very good at keeping secrets." He barely heard her since he was so focused on the black swarming on the sides of his vision, a result of standing up. He pressed the hand that wasn't holding Plagg against his temple, trying to ground himself enough to move.

"What's wrong?" He heard her asking, sort of, as if she were talking to him from underwater. "Boy?" He lifted his eyes to her face again, trying to focus on what she was saying, focusing harder on not losing his balance and toppling into the snow. "Oh, I see." Now he was sure he wasn't hearing her correctly. See what?

"I need to go," he told her, shakily. "I need to . . find someone."

"Dressed like that? Sick as you are? No, child. Your mother would kill me."

"My . . . mother?"

She balanced the cane against her hip and pulled her shawl from her shoulders. Before Adrien could muster the strength to do anything else, she'd thrown it around him, drawing the corners together at his chest. "You poor thing," she said, and he felt his lips tremble. "I'm going to help you."

The sudden warmth of the shawl and the unexpected assistance made his throat catch, sent a tremor through his body. He bit the inside of his cheek, the stinging sensation back in his eyes. He'd been prepared for anything except this – for someone to see him, actually see him, and want to help him. It surprised him how much the kindness hurt.

"Can you walk?" She asked him, forcing her cane into her ruined hand again. He wasn't actually sure if he could. He felt loosely put together at his joints, like if he took a step the base of his backbone would snap in two. But he had to go home, had to start moving somehow, had to help Plagg. She looped her good arm through his, allowing him to keep his hands clasped around his kwami. His instincts were still telling him to leave, but now that she'd seen him for what he was, would there be a point? How was he supposed to fix this? He felt a hand against his cheek, warm and comforting. He leaned into it without realizing. "What have you done to yourself?" the strange woman mused quietly, but he didn't know what she meant. He closed his eyes, focusing on her touch on his face. His heart twisted in a new confusing ache.

"What made you do this? Here, lean on me, we'll use the cane together. It's just a few steps." Valerie pulled on Gabriel's son, intentionally keeping her voice light, wishing she had more strength. Before, it would have been nothing to lift him in her arms, but now she would need him to move on his own. He was trembling with exertion and fever and pain; she wasn't sure he was even listening to her, but he had to. If he was in this sort of shape before transforming, then it was no wonder he held on to his lifeless kwami like that. The spirit's effort to allow him to perform the way he had a few moments ago. There would be consequences, damage. But how much?

He took a step, at last, and she took a breath of relief. "That's it, son," she encouraged, guiding him gently and carefully across the slippery courtyard to where she'd left her apartment door open to the cold in her haste to get to him before he destroyed the tree. He leaned in to her, staggering, and she leaned heavily on the cane. He took a hitching breath, and she saw tears mixed with the fever gleam in his eyes. The boy was as shattered as the destroyed kiosk, more than from illness. Something had pushed him away from his house, into the snow, something that prompted him to escape despite what his body was capable of.

And he was just this side of breaking point, teetering on the brink. If Valerie sat him at her table, treated him like a stranger, like a runaway teenager. If she called his father, sent him home, he would swallow his sorrow, push it down deep as he'd likely done many times over again. Because that was the world he lived in. She could do that; he might prefer that in a way. He didn't know her.

But then she thought of the cataclysm, the wrath in his body, the despair when it broke. She thought of another Miraculous wielder in pain, how it could twist, how sorrow compressed turned hard and cold. How bright souls carrying blackness could have their lights blown out. Something that shouldn't happen to any child, much less a superhero. Maybe it would be better for him to break, for Paris' sake, for Emlie's, for his own future. But could he be restored again after?

They reached her door, closing it to the night. She sat the teenager down on her sofa, standing beside him with her hand at the base of his neck.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured to the floor, slumping over. "I just need . . . I just need a minute and I'll leave you."

She ran her hand through his hair, watching earnestly as it made him wince. He did not shy away from physical contact, quite the opposite, but it was rather obvious that it was not something he was used to.

"Not by yourself. You can barely walk and you have no coat. If you want to leave now, we can call your father. You're Gabriel Agreste's son, Adrien, right?" He looked up at her horrified.

"Don't tell him! Please," he whimpered. "He'll think you . . . he'll think." There were tears in his voice as well as his eyes now. She shifted her hand from his neck to his shoulder. Why was he so upset?

"Calm down, Adrien. When you're ready, I'll take you home. But first, will you let me see Plagg?"

"I don't know what you're . . . ?"

"The kwami of your Miraculous. You're worried about him."

"How do you?"

"I just want to help. Please." Weak and confused, Adrien opened his hands, revealing the black kwami. Valerie took him into her hand carefully, prodding his tiny eyes open with her fingertip, hearing him moan softly at her attentions. "Oh, Plagg."

"What?" Adrien asked, his pitch raising.

"Val . . . Valerie?" Plagg groaned, shocked. "Thank goodness."

"What?!" Adrien asked again, looking between her and Plagg. Valerie held her hand out to him soothingly.

"He's very far gone," Valerie said, more to herself than anyone. "This is beyond me."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, getting panicky again, pushing himself up from the sofa to come to her side, but not getting very far before falling back, his head in his hands . "He's not going to die, is he? Do they do that? Can they?"

"Don't try to get up, please. I don't think he's beyond saving. I'm a little more worried about you, actually."

"Please," Adrien gasped. "Who are you? Why do you two know each other?"

"We don't know each other exactly. We only met a few times before it was decided that I was not strong enough to bear him. I was chosen by another." As she confessed this, her deepest secret, she took Plagg to her table, trying to tempt him with a piece of fruit. He licked it, shuddered, and went still again.

"What?" Adrien yelped, the effort making him woozy. She returned to his side, where he held his head in his hands, pushing him deeper into the sofa. "You have a Miraculous?"

"That was a long time ago," she said with regret. "And she is no longer mine. Take it easy."

"Which one?" Adrien pressed, his eyes fluttering at the strain of keeping his attention focused and sitting up. "Were you . . . Are you Ladybug?"

"Lie down, Adrien, you just lost all the color in your face. I'm not and never was Ladybug."

"What should we do for Plagg? How do we help him?"

"We wait. Help is on the way to us."

"But," his voice was lost and confused. She wondered how much of her story she was now obligated to tell. Instead of explaining, she removed his shoes for him, surprised at his lack of protest at her ministrations, covering him with the blanket she kept on the back of the couch. He propped himself up on his elbow, staring at her, trying to process all that was happening to him while fighting delirium. She placed Plagg gently on the cushion next to Adrien, knowing he would rest easier next to him.

"Rest," she commanded, wincing slightly as she knelt on the floor beside them. "She's coming."

"Who?" He murmured, struggling to focus, completely wretched.

"Ladybug is looking for you. She'll find us soon and bring us help for your kwami."

"No one is looking for me," he told her miserably. "Especially not her."

"That's not true," she assured, feeling her heart twist at what he'd said. Like he truly believed no one would bother, no one would notice he was gone. Obviously, he hadn't seen the news, didn't know that practically the entire city had disrupted their holiday in order to find him. If she didn't think it would be too much shock all at once for him, she would have turned on the television to prove to him just how many people cared for his safe return. She decided to let Ladybug handle this particular conversation when she came; it would mean more coming from her anyway.

"I'm sorry," Adrien repeated. "Plagg – you tried to warn me. I'm so sorry."

She brushed back his hair with her good hand, feeling pricked with concern as she noted the fever heat on him. Was he getting worse? Maybe they shouldn't wait. "He should be taking better care of you." Adrien choked when she said it, and she realized he was misunderstanding her. He thought she was talking about his care of Plagg. She was actually talking about his father. "You deserve better, Adrien." This time the sob was unmistakable, though the golden head under her hand twisted to hide in the cushion. Plagg reached out a hand to his Chosen. She imagined no one had ever told him this; no one had validated feelings he likely tried to deny himself. Her saying it out loud, giving it credit, dissolved the wall he'd put up around that particular hurt. As she'd intended.

Neither kwami nor woman made any attempt to hush him as he cried. His face hidden, his body clenched tight. Valerie rubbed his back but did not make any sound. This was what he truly needed, this release. Sometimes wounds needed to be lanced before they were bandaged. She kissed his head above his ear. He looked so much like Emilie.

He cried until his strength at last gave out, and even after he'd fallen asleep, his shoulders twitched, his hands clenching and unclenching, his rest disturbed by cries of pain. Plagg curled close, trying to find a comfortable spot and remain in physical contact with Adrien, but he was making that tricky with his constant tossing. Valerie did what she could, but she knew what she needed most would be in the courtyard soon. She took her shawl and flung it again around her neck before stepping back outside.

Ladybug didn't keep her waiting long, flying down near the tree on her yo-yo string, her face fierce and confident and worried. Valerie smiled at her youth and vibrancy, relieved that she was here.

"Ladybug!" She hailed her, lifting her cane, drawing her attention from the shattered kiosk.

"What is it?" The heroine rushed her, taking her gently by the elbows and peering intensely into her face. "What happened here? Are you all right?"

"Yes, but I need your help. I need you to bring Master Fu here as soon as you can."

"Master? How do you know about – what happened? Where's Chat Noir?"

"Never mind how I know. But Chat Noir's kwami needs Master Fu. I hope you know how to contact him."

"But I'm looking for someone – a boy, blonde, green eyes. His name is Adrien, and he's been missing for hours now."

"I know who you mean, it's all over the news, but Chat Noir needs you more right now." Ladybug's blue eyes widened at the statement, not truly believing that anything could be more important than the quest she was already on.

"What happened to him?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"He's very sick, and the kwami is fading. He needs your help," Valerie stressed again, putting special emphasis on each word. "Will you give it?"

Ladybug looked torn, uncertain about Valerie's assertion that Chat Noir could need her more than Adrien did at this moment. If only Valerie could tell her that there was no longer a need to look for either of them. Putting a hand to her lips, Ladybug looked around her again at the broken kiosk.

"Sick?" She repeated, as if the very idea were completely impossible. "How do I know this isn't a trap?" Ladybug asked quietly, obviously not wanting to voice her concern. "Why don't I take the kwami with me to Master Fu?"

"I don't want to move him more than necessary," Valerie answered. "But if you need something more than my word, we can waste time and you can see him for yourself."

"I think I do need that," she said, a little coldly. "Let's waste a minute. Where is Chat Noir?" Valerie closed her eyes, leaning a bit on the cane. Of course she wouldn't trust her. How many times had Chat already been used as bait to trap her. Not only that, Valerie knew what she looked like at this point in her life. Like a crone. Like a villain.

"Come with me, if you must, then," she offered. She led the way to the apartment, stopping at the door. Ladybug tensed, her yo-yo ready in her palm for an ambush. Her reflexes were good, but her instinct needed tuning. But she was still so young.

"His claws are in," Valerie told her, knowing that she would understand what this meant. "I know this can't sound more suspicious, but I also know you understand that your identities must be secret. If you want to go in there, you'll have to consent to a blindfold." Ladybug consulted the barrier of the door, then looked long and hard at Valerie.

"He's really in trouble this time, isn't he?" She asked with something like regret in her voice.

"Yes," Valerie responded, feeling rather at a loss that there was no way to ease this truth. Ladybug put her hand on the door, her muscles relaxed, the fight gone out of her.

"Chat," she whispered to the wood; Valerie barely heard her. Then she straightened, her gaze calm and ready.

"I'll keep my eyes closed," she promised with such sincerity that Valerie believed her.

"Very well," she acquiesced. Ladybug closed her eyes, and Valerie pulled her into the apartment where the air felt close and warm. Though she couldn't see, Ladybug could smell rosemary and sage as well as cinnamon. Soothing scents.

"Where – where did you go?" His voice, low to the floor. He must be sitting or lying down. In her mind's eye, she saw him lifting himself onto one elbow in something like a lounge, but the strain of the voice deflated it a little. It sounded sort of like Chat, but drained, as if a voice could lose all its color. "Ladybug?" A tenseness at her name, and scrambling as he suddenly realized that she was here, that she was going to see him for who he was in his regular life. She squeezed her eyes more tightly closed against the temptation of doing exactly that.

"I'm here," she told him, as if he was the one with his eyes closed. "I'm not going to look at you."

"Easy, Chat Noir," the woman comforted, and the sounds ceased. "She knows she has to keep her eyes closed. She wanted to check on you to make sure I'm telling her the truth." It sounded like Chat was no longer moving, but he was still breathing heavily. Whatever he'd just tried to do had obviously taken a lot of physical effort on his part. Ladybug followed the sounds, worried now, putting out her hand, inching forward until Valerie took it, easing her the rest of the way.

"Kneel down," she instructed and Ladybug folded immediately, tucking her head to her chest, keeping her eyelids squeezed shut. She reached out, as she'd done many times before, with the expectation that her partner would reach back. His fingers found their familiar holds on her forearm, but the grip was unsteady, the hand trembling. She grasped him tight for a moment before inching her way up his arms to his chest. He also shifted his hand until it curved gently around her bicep, like a child holding on to his favorite blanket. She could feel the unnatural rhythm of his breathing under her palm, the intense heat, the hard and fast pound of his heart. She maneuvered her hands carefully and sightlessly up to his shoulders, around the back of his neck, he was shivering everywhere, tucking her palm against his jawline, noting the lack of mask, inspecting him as much as she dared with her sense of touch, giving herself a complete picture of where he was in front of her. He was so hot. As she brushed his cheekbone with her thumb, flakes of salt came off. Tears?

"Chat Noir," she heard herself whisper, worried as much for him now as she was for Adrien, maybe more. "What happened to you? How long have you been like this? Why didn't you call for me?"

"I'm sorry," Chat apologized, his voice trembling as much as his shoulders. That wasn't anywhere close to an answer, but Ladybug figured it was probably all she was going to get.

"That's not like you," she said, wondering what she should be saying. She put her hand on his forehead, using her touch there as a guide to kiss him lightly. Again, he shuddered, and she made a distressed sound in the back of her throat. "You're so hot."

"What are you doing out?" Chat asked, worried, deliberately changing the subject. "Why aren't you home with your family?"

"I was looking for Adrien Agreste," Ladybug answered truthfully, not missing the new twinge under her fingers. Had she done something wrong? What was hurting him so much he couldn't seem to be still? "Isn't that what you were doing?"

"Looking for- why?"

"He's missing, that's why. You didn't know? All of Paris is looking for him. We're worried he might have been kidnapped. But Chat, if that's not what you were up to, then . . . what were you doing? The cataclysm outside – I don't understand."

"I . .. I made a mistake," his voice was so breathless now that she decided not to press him. Whatever had brought him away from his own family into the night, without knowing about Adrien, must be too important a secret for her to need it from him. It didn't matter all that much. The point was that he was in this strange woman's house, sick and weak and needing her help. Her head was starting to hurt at the effort of keeping her eyes closed. She stood from the floor, keeping her hand in Chat's.

"I'm going to get someone who can heal your kwami," she explained as his fingers tightened around hers, not wanting her to go. Admittedly, she didn't want to go either. She wanted to take Chat Noir's head in her lap as if he really were a kitten and just hold him until he felt better. She wanted to ask again why he hadn't called for her help. But the woman had been right. She was wasting time; time she could be using to help her friend. "Then we're taking you to the hospital."

"But . . . but what about Adrien?" Chat challenged, and she smiled at him softly.

"Adrien is important to me," she confessed, noting how Chat's hand clenched around hers as she said it. "But like I said, all of Paris is out looking for him. Right now, I need to take care of my partner." She lifted her head for Valerie, speaking to her without being able to see where she was. "I'm sorry I didn't trust you. Help me outside?"

Chat brought her hand to his lips in his customary gesture even though it was tainted slightly by how hard he was trembling.

"Thank you, my lady," he said, so genuine and pure and hurt that Ladybug's throat tightened. She bent over him, resting her forehead against his for a second.

"I'll be quick as I can," she promised before letting go. She was on her own only a moment before the woman who she was going to trust to look after her teammate took her by the hands and led her back to the cold of Christmas Eve. When she heard the door close, Ladybug opened her eyes to consider again the woman who now knew who Chat Noir truly was.

"Did you see what happened?" She questioned her, hoping to get something more than what Chat had told her. "Who he was fighting?"

"He's still fighting, Ladybug," she answered vaguely. "Though it will help to know that you chose him first."

"Will it help him to heal his kwami?" She asked, unsure. It didn't seem that it would work that way.

"No." Was the flat answer, but after a moment's pause, she continued. "He used the kwami as a shield, borrowing his power, likely to do something he was too sick already to do. He's pushed himself too hard, and his kwami too hard. They were together when the damage was done, but they'll have to heal separately, I'm afraid."

"But he didn't tell you why? What would make him do that to himself?"

"He hasn't said. I haven't felt it my place to ask."

"Maybe when I come back you can tell me why you know so much about it?" Ladybug gave in to her curiosity to put the possibility out there. "Kwamis and Master Fu? They're supposed to be secrets and even Chat Noir doesn't know about Master Fu, so I know he couldn't have said anything about him." After all, she was trusting her with everything right now. Would it really be so inconsiderate to ask for a small return gesture of information?

"I believe that conversation is inevitable at this point." She didn't sound happy about it, but she did sound resigned. Ladybug decided to leave it at that.

"Please keep him safe," she heard herself ask this ruined woman with one eye and wrecked hand. The woman who knew more about her partner than she did now. "I'll hurry."

"I promise."

Ladybug nodded to her, releasing her yo-yo into the night. It caught on something a quarter mile away and pulled her instantly from the courtyard on her way to the Guardian's home.

Valerie let her go, returning to minister to Adrien, shivering on the couch, face flushed and breathing too fast.

"Did you hear her, Plagg?" He was saying to his kwami. "She's going to help you." There was a spark in his voice now, though she'd already seen it while he was talking to her. "She did come." He was completely smitten, the reckless kind. Valerie rubbed the stumps of her missing fingers, worried. People that in love make silly choices, are too willing to sacrifice themselves. And Ladybug – had she even noticed? Was she worthy of his affection?

Possibly. There had been true concern in her voice and on her face as she'd knelt beside him. His condition obviously bothered her, and maybe shown her a future where he might not be with her always. The idea that she might have taken him for granted had surely crossed her mind. The good news here, however, was that her partner was still in a place where he might be saved. Unlike Valerie's.

"Hang in there, Plagg," Adrien continued murmuring encouragement to his kwami, even as his head dropped back onto the sofa cushion in exhaustion. "She's so fast. She'll . . . she'll be right back."

Valerie went to her kitchen, just a few steps away in the small apartment, to wet a cold cloth for the back of Adrien's neck. Master Fu could restore the kwami easily; she knew this. But Adrien's recovery would not be so simple. Ladybug had mentioned taking him to the hospital. Maybe that would be the best choice.

He startled alarmingly when she came back in view, cloth in hand, as if he'd forgotten she were there even though she'd only been gone a few moments. "Hide," he hissed to Plagg. "She'll see you." Plagg lifted his head slightly, cracking open an eye to see what Adrien was talking about. When all he saw was Valerie, he did a sort of double take before letting himself go limp again. "Plagg, what's wrong?" Adrien asked him, awkwardly pulling a cushion over him, tent-like, to obscure him from sight.

"Adrien?" Valerie tested him, confused and worried, wondering what had changed in the past minute. He squinted at her, his face suddenly penitent.

"I'm so sorry," he apologized, reaching for her. She went to his side, forcing her stiff left leg to bow enough to let her onto the floor near him, ready to console him about whatever he thought he needed to be sorry for, hoping his temporary loss of lucidity was over now, hoping Ladybug would hurry so she could get Adrien better help. She just had to give Master Fu enough time to stabilize Plagg first. She placed the cloth as intended on his neck as he cupped the side of her face with one trembling hand. "Was I too late?" He traced the scar, lightly running his fingers down her cheek, eyelids fluttering as he fought to stay awake. She let the cloth go to stop his touch. No one had ever done that before. She wasn't sure how she felt about someone tracing her injury. "I let you get hurt," he said remorsefully. "I wasn't there for you."

She felt a tear slip from her sightless eye, dropping onto his hand, surprising her. She knew he had no real idea of what he was saying now. He was getting worse; his temperature way too high. But even as he was not really speaking to her, she was hearing his words from someone else. A voice from a memory that she'd almost forgotten. This time, she did shush him. "You're here now," she told him, keeping his hand away from her face, pressing the cloth to his neck. "We're safe."

"Ladybug will fix it," he continued as if she hadn't said anything, his eyes closing despite his obvious struggle to keep them open. He was slipping under.

"I'm sure," she encouraged again, scooping up Plagg from under the pillow, afraid of what Adrien might do to him accidentally now that he was so out of it. Afraid of his deteriorating condition. She relocated the spirit to where she'd left her shawl on the table, making him a little nest and tucking him into it, making sure the grape she'd offered him earlier was within easy reach.

"Valerie," the dark spirit said faintly as she covered him with wool. "Don't wait anymore. He needs . . . he's so sick, Valerie. I'll wait here for Ladybug. Leave the ring and get him some help."

"I can't leave you, Plagg," Valerie denied, thinking how horrible it would be to take Adrien's Miraculous, leave it on the table next to the kwami, alone and unprotected. "Ladybug will be back soon."

"We're going to lose him if you wait that long."

"What do you mean?" She checked, worried.

"I've seen it before. I don't know what they call it now –"

"Calm down, Plagg."

"No! Trixx lost a Chosen this way. It's a blood poison. She died just hours after she started talking like Adrien is right now. Please!" Plagg put his head down after his outburst, too weak to continue. Valerie looked over at Adrien, watching his chest rise and fall, too quickly, and she knew Plagg was right. He was talking about sepsis, and if that really were the case, Adrien couldn't wait for Ladybug. They may have already wasted too much time. But she couldn't leave Plagg alone either.

She dismissed calling Gabriel to come retrieve his son. She didn't want him to know where she was and didn't think that she could bring herself to speak to him even under the circumstances. Besides, an ambulance would be faster anyway. She went to her phone, quickly dialing emergency services.

"I've found Adrien Agreste," she told the dispatcher. "Please send an ambulance." They asked very few questions, assuring her that they were on their way and would arrive in less than ten minutes. She asked them to hurry.

"They're coming," she assured Plagg.

"Thank you," he whispered, spent.

She pushed herself to her feet, looking down on the kwami. The green of his eyes disappeared as he closed them, falling limply into the shawl. She left his side to return to Adrien's, who was shivering in his sleep. How had she missed it? She should have gotten him help as soon as he'd arrived, but she'd thought the kwami needed it more. How could she have risked him that way? Ashamed and frightened, she perched on the sofa near his knees, stretching her left leg out in front of her. She took his hand in hers and monitored his face. He was so quiet now. She wondered if he would stir if she shook him; she was too afraid that he wouldn't to even try.

As sirens drew close to her apartment, Valerie slipped Adrien's ring from his finger and onto hers, closing her eyes as the weight of what she'd just done settled on her. It's just to keep them safe; only until he's well again. She glanced at her shawl on the table, confirming that no one would notice Plagg tangled there, then she opened her door to the paramedics as they brought a backboard into her tiny apartment and suddenly her entire space was filled with uniforms and unfamiliar equipment. She gave her name but asked them not to give it to anyone else. She explained that she'd found Adrien alone, wandering outside, confused and fevered. She put his shoes in a bag for them to take with them. They strapped him securely to their carrier, and he made no sound of protest or question. He was already in a place far away from his body. Why had she waited so long?

"Is he going to be all right?" Valerie asked the medic with the clipboard as he scribbled down vitals.

"Can't tell yet," he told her, seriously. Valerie clenched her hand at her throat as she watched an oxygen mask fitted over his face.

"Will you be riding with him?" Someone else asked her as they made ready to lift him into the ambulance. Valerie closed her broken hand around the ring. She could not leave Plagg here. She could not make that mistake again.

"No," she answered, hating that Adrien would be going alone. "I'll stay here and contact his father."

"Thanks for the call," they said and disappeared with Adrien outside. She heard the doors close tight around him and then the sirens dissipated into the snowy night. After they had gone, darkness and cold settled into her house. She almost fell sitting down at her table, hands tight against her chest, the ring burning her.

"You . . . you didn't go with him?" Plagg's voice at her elbow, looking up at her again from his shawl bed. She couldn't tell if he were angry about it or not.

"I couldn't," she defended, surprised again to find tears on her cheeks. "He won't be alone, but you would."

"I tried to tell him," Plagg murmured sorrowfully. "I knew it would be bad."

"I need to tell his father," Valerie said, wishing that weren't true. How many years had it been since she'd spoken with him? Would he remember her? Hopefully not. Her hands were shaking as she dialed the number she found on his website. Maybe no one would pick up. Maybe everyone was still away looking for Adrien. Maybe she wouldn't have to actually speak to him.

"Yes?" A female voice, clipped and professional, not Emilie. Definitely not Gabriel. Valerie crumpled at the table in relief. Plagg looked up at her questioningly.

"Could you please tell Mr. Agreste that his son is in route to St. Simons Hospital? He should meet him there."

"Adrien?" The professional clip dropped into something like terror. "Is he all right? Who is this?"

"He'll need his father with him," Valerie said instead of answering, then hung up quickly while the woman on the other end continued with rapid-fire questions. She was partially comforted. Whomever that was on the phone cared for Adrien; she could tell by the voice. She felt better about her choice to stay with Plagg.

She rested her head on her crossed arms then, feeling the Miraculous press against her cheek as she laid on it. One of her fingers extended toward the kwami, close but not touching him. He curled his tail around her fingertip.

"Valerie?" Plagg asked, so quiet.

"Yes?"

"I'm glad it was you."

She wasn't sure how to answer that, so she didn't try. She was surprised for the second time that night that there were tears on her face. Why cry now, she asked herself. What's the point of it? But maybe she had a little of Adrien in her, the part that didn't grieve properly at the right time. She hoped he'd be ok.

For thirty more minutes, Valerie and Plagg sat together at the table, listening to the news in the background celebrating that Adrien had been found. She registered that the hospital had honored her wishes to remain anonymous. There was no mention of where he'd been found or by whom. Gabriel's voice came on, filling her with chilled dread, as he thanked Paris for their efforts in locating his son and asking that he now be allowed to recover quietly, no visitors for the moment. The program had moved on to the weather when a scarlet clad storm crashed into Valerie's house.

Jerking upright, Valerie watched as Ladybug flew unerringly to where she'd left Chat Noir on the couch, her eyes still tightly closed so she wouldn't endanger his identity. Stiffly, Valerie got to her feet, opening her mouth as Ladybug's hands wildly searched the area for the missing boy.

"Where is he?" Ladybug asked, her pitch frantic, bowing over the empty space.

"He's not here, Ladybug," Valerie told her gently just as Master Fu also entered her apartment, much more calmly. Valerie unconsciously tried to stand straighter at the sight of him. Bright blue eyes zeroed in on her fiercely.

"What happened? Where did he go?" She demanded, her trust broken. Valerie had promised to keep him safe, but Ladybug didn't know that she'd had to send him away to save him.

"You?" Master Fu broke in, blinking at her.

"He rested here for a while, but he had to return to his family. I'm sorry," she lied. "The kwami is here, though." She picked up Plagg, shawl and all, in both hands, extending him toward Master Fu, who was still staring at her face. Suddenly self-conscious, she tipped her head down, allowing her hair to shield her scar, holding out Plagg as a distraction and offering. She hadn't lost this one.

"You've been here? This whole time?" Master Fu asked, his tone difficult to decipher, but Valerie detected shame. "I thought –"

"Please," Valerie interrupted. She knew what he thought. The same that everyone who had once known her thought. That she was dead. Gabriel had seen to that, and at the time she had been grateful to him for it. "He needs help."

Shaking himself slightly, Master Fu at last accepted Plagg. He took a moment to inspect him much as Valerie had done, checking him over visually, rubbing his fingers over him gently.

"I tried to tell him, Master," Plagg admitted.

"Chosen can be headstrong," Fu placated, giving Valerie a sidelong look. "Some more than others." She bowed her head. "It's actually an admirable quality for a superhero."

"He just left him here?" Ladybug squeaked, making Valerie wonder how many more lies she would have to tell tonight in order to keep her from finding out who Chat Noir was.

"He didn't want to," she answered, truthfully, as she watched Fu arrange his tools and Plagg on her table.

"Where did he go? He wasn't in any shape to leave. I thought you were going to take care of him."

"Ladybug," Plagg called her, and her eyes doubled as she realized Chat Noir's kwami was talking to her.

"Um, yes?" She responded, suddenly calm, staring at the tiny black cat.

"Don't blame her; they did what I told them to do. And stop asking questions!"

Ladybug lowered her gaze to the floor, properly scolded. Valerie's heart went out to her.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Ladybug," Fu told her as she stood there, out of place, a heroine not knowing what to do to help anymore. "I'll be able to get home on my own. You should return to your family."

"Are you sure?" Ladybug returned. "There isn't anything I can do to help?"

"You've done enough. It's Christmas Eve. Please, go on now."

Valerie put on a smile for her, trying to be reassuring, but when their eyes met they both could feel how unsatisfactory this evening had been. Adrien had been found, but not by Ladybug. His future was uncertain to Valerie and completely unknown to his teammate. It didn't feel as though it should be over. The dismissal had something bitter about it.

"I hope you'll visit me again," Valerie offered. "In better circumstances."

Hesitantly, looking back to the couch where she'd last left Chat, then at the table where Master Fu bent over his kwami, then back to Valerie, Ladybug at last turned toward the door.

"Thank you, Ladybug," Master Fu bowed to her as she left.

"Sure," she said, uncertainly, and disappeared outside.

The door closed behind her and suddenly Wayzz jumped out of Fu's coat, buzzing animatedly around Valerie's head. "You're alive!" He squeaked jubilantly.

"I'm happy to find Valerie here, too, but we have work to do just now. Explanations can wait until we're finished," Fu interrupted with authority. Wayzz settled down, coming to sit next to Plagg on the table, watching as his master prepared the ritual that would cleanse him of Adrien's illness and restore his strength.

"Find some cheese," Wayzz instructed Valerie.


	2. Chapter 2: Borrowed Claws

See below for Author's Notes

Chapter Two: Borrowed Claws

Marinette hugged her pillow as she lay on her back, staring at one of Adrien's many faces on her ceiling. She knew she was tired, that she should really get some sleep, but the feeling of incompleteness, of not finishing something that she was supposed to do, was making it too hard to settle down.

"Merry Christmas, Marinette," Tikki wished, her small voice friendly and inviting, initiating a conversation if Marinette wanted to talk.

"You too, Tikki," she responded, trying to get a grip on her emotions enough that she could start sorting them out.

"Are you all right?"

"Tikki, what happened tonight?" Her words sped up as she went through it, spreading all the mess out like mis-matched fabric she was trying to make a skirt out of. "Adrien went missing; Chat Noir destroyed that kiosk by the hotel but he won't tell me why or what happened there, but it hurt him and his kwami enough that I had to go for Master Fu. And the woman who was with him knew all about him, and what's with that? Who is she? And when I do come back Chat Noir has just left his Miraculous and kwami with her? Tikki, what do you make of it?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much, Marinette. The important details are that Adrien is safe and sound, and you saved Chat Noir's kwami. You did a great job."

"It doesn't feel like I did a great job, though."

She felt a light fluttering on her cheek as Tikki kissed her. "Not every battle ends with a Lucky Charm, you know? Sometimes things just work out because you brought the right person to the right place."

"Maybe, but I'd feel better if I could find Chat Noir. What if he didn't make it home?"

"Well," Tikki paused, pressing her little paws together as she hesitated to bring any ugliness to the comfort she was trying to give. "Technically, there is no Chat Noir right now."

"What? What are you talking about Tikki?" Marinette cupped her hands around her kwami, bringing her from the air at her ear to directly in front of her face. "I mean, I'm still Ladybug even with my spots off."

"That's true, but you're still wearing the Miraculous. Chat Noir took his off and left it with Master Fu, who might have returned it to the others. Until he gives it back or to someone else, you're the only superhero in Paris."

"But of course he'll give it back. Why wouldn't he?"

Again Tikki hesitated. Marinette knew she didn't like giving her sad details; she liked for Marinette to be positive and upbeat. But then there were times like these when some things just had to be said.

"I don't know exactly what happened tonight, so we can't get too upset before we learn all the details, ok, Marinette, but there's a possibility that whoever had the Chat Noir Miraculous might not be able to take it back. It's happened before; the last time to poor Trixx."

"What happened?" The soft red spirit wouldn't look at her. "Tikki, what happened to Trixx's Chosen?"

"She had to transform in an emergency, but she was sick. Nothing horrible, nothing she wouldn't have healed from if she'd had time to rest. But the energy she used to transform, and the battle that followed, escalated her existing infection. When she went back to herself, the virus already in her body had completely taken over. We were busy helping Trixx; we didn't know what was going on. By the time we discovered what was wrong, it was too late to save her."

"No. You think that's what happened to Chat Noir?" She let go of Tikki to cover her mouth with both hands, tears blurring her vision immediately. That couldn't be true. The thought of never fighting with Chat Noir again. "No."

"Shh. Calm down, Marinette, or you'll wake up your parents. I can't know for sure, but it sounds the same to me."

"We have to find him, Tikki! We have to find him tonight!" She declared her intentions as she threw her bedspread off her legs, swinging to the side to stand and launch herself out her skylight.

"Wait, Marinette! You forget that he's not Chat right now. You have no idea where to start looking or who you're looking for. We have to trust Master Fu. He'll take care of him."

"But," Marinette knew she was definitely not sleeping after all this. She had to do something! Maybe she could go to Master Fu. He'd be home by now, right? He could explain to her what was going on, tell her if Chat Noir were all right. Tikki pulled the blanket back over Marinette, struggling with the heavy cover.

"Maybe I shouldn't have told you," she regretted, looking sympathetically into Marinette's teary eyes. "I just want you to be prepared in case he doesn't come during the next akuma attack."

"I can't fight without him. We do everything together; we're supposed to be a team!"

"Don't forget; I might have got you all worked up for nothing. It could be that Master Fu has returned Plagg to him already, and we have absolutely nothing to worry about. Get some rest, Marinette. Tomorrow is Christmas morning, and your parents will want to share it with you. Sleep so you can be cheerful for them."

"I don't know if I can, Tikki." Marinette obediently curled around her pillow again, not at all sleepy. "Are you sure we can't go talk to Master Fu?"

"He sent you home, Marinette. Either there's nothing for you to do because everything is fine or he needs every bit of his concentration to fix what went wrong and you could get in his way. It's best to wait for him to come to you. Now sleep."

"Tikki."

"Close your eyes and try," Tikki commanded. Marinette took a deep breath, nowhere near calm. She looked at Adrien's photo on her wall and took comfort when she remembered that he was safe tonight. But when she drifted off a while later, she was picturing a completely different set of green eyes.

BB

"You're going in, right?" Plagg asked, a shrill voice in her ear. Now that he was feeling better, he sounded much different. The ritual had lasted less than twenty minutes and included what Master Fu called a 'protective charm' that would hopefully prevent the same thing from happening again. "It's freezing out here."

"Right," Valerie agreed, urging herself to take the last step that would activate the automatic doors of the hospital. Most of it was dark, this late on a holiday. Only the barest essential of the staff would be on call tonight, she'd counted on that, and her desire to check on Adrien had made her volunteer to return his Miraculous. Master Fu hadn't wanted her to take on this task at first, and they'd spent almost an hour back and forth. She'd had to explain herself, where she'd been, most of what had happened to her, but in the end, she hadn't begged, and he had relented to her request. Yet now that she was on the threshold, she hesitated, thinking maybe she should have left this task to Master Fu after all. How would she return it without anyone seeing her? Was Gabriel there? Would she be allowed in to see him at all?

"Valerie?" Plagg prodded her, tugging her hair just slightly. "Let's go in."

Ducking her head, she slipped inside, feeling Plagg grip the hair at the back of her neck tighter as the rush of hot air blew directly on them in the entryway, keeping the drafts of winter outside as best it could. The after-hours entry was through the emergency room at St Simons and guarded by a security officer. The only other people in the room were a large man with sideburns and a woman in glasses and a sharp dark suit with a streak of red in her hair who was on the phone.

"Can I help you?" The security guard asked immediately, half standing as he took in her face and cane, trying to decide what sort of crisis had brought her to the emergency room in the middle of Christmas night. She held out her good hand to indicate he could return to his seat as she closed the distance to his desk. The door to the patient rooms was two steps on her right, but she knew without this man's say so, it would remain locked to her.

"I came to check on Adrien Agreste," she declared boldly, and noticed that both the other heads in the room snapped up when she said it. The woman in the suit put down her phone. "He was brought here earlier by ambulance. Is he still in triage or has he been assigned a room yet?"

"Are you family?" The guard checked, and she considered lying. How would he know?

"It's you," the suit woman said, coming to stand next to her. She was staring at her in amazement, her mouth slightly open and marring the cold beauty of her features. "You're the one who called me."

"That's right," Valerie confessed, recognizing the woman's voice the same as her own voice had been recognized. "Can I see him?"

The woman's eyes opened wide at the request, then darted quickly to the ground as she deliberated. Obviously, Gabriel had laid down the order that no one should be allowed to visit him, but it looked as though his assistant might just disregard it. Valerie stared at her hard, knowing that whoever spoke next would be the loser of this interaction. If she said one word now, even a please, she would be turned outside. So she watched acquiescence and denial cross back and forth in the blue eyes. This was why she'd been Chosen at the beginning, for her ability to read the thoughts and emotions of others.

The assistant exchanged a quick glance with the security guard before taking a deep breath. Valerie kept her face calm.

"Very well," she granted, nodding slightly. "A few minutes."

The guard buzzed them through the door, and the woman took off at a brisk clip, only realizing after several steps that Valerie could not keep up with her. She blushed and slowed her pace.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"It's nothing," Valerie dismissed.

"How did you find him?" She asked as they walked.

"I was watching the snow from my window and happened to see him wandering outside. It looked odd, a young man with no coat, alone on Christmas Eve. I thought I'd better check on him."

"We're so grateful you did." There was a darkness in those words, and Valerie knew that if she hadn't found him, if she hadn't sent him off in the ambulance, they probably would not be visiting him right now.

"He seemed confused," she said, gently guiding their conversation to his current condition. "I hope he's doing better now?"

Instead of answering, the assistant opened a door to a patient triage room. The hallway lights were all on and bright, but this room was dark. Only a small light behind the mobile bed was on, casting a bit of illumination over Adrien's face. There was a mask strapped there, and a meter for oxygen levels over his left index finger. A cuff around his left bicep connected to a portable monitor of his heart rate and blood pressure. Valerie gasped when she saw him, and noticed the woman bowing her head against the sight. Immediately, Valerie took his right hand in both of hers, gently avoiding the IV taped down along his cephalic vein near his wrist. She felt Plagg, hidden in her hair, fidgeting in distress.

"I waited too long," she heard herself whisper, amazed at the damage. "Do they know what's wrong?" She raised her voice slightly, not turning her head away from Adrien.

"Yes," the woman confirmed. "A septic infection. He's getting massive doses of antibiotic and fluid now. Plus something else to keep his blood pressure up. It will be hard, but he will recover thanks to you."

"Why did you leave your house?" Valerie asked his sedated form. Plagg sniffled softly near her ear. Surprisingly, so did the assistant. Valerie kept Adrien's hand, but shifted her attention to where the polished woman was pulling a handkerchief from a pocket inside her blazer.

"It's my fault," she said, as if she had been waiting to confess this for a long time. "I knew he wasn't feeling well, but he was trying to ignore it so I did too, and it didn't seem that it would be so serious. I thought when he went to his room that he'd lie down and rest, not disappear. I left him alone. I should have checked on him sooner."

"I bet it happened so fast," Valerie assured her. The blue eyes met hers, full of gratitude. Valerie returned her attention to Adrien, second guessing her mission. She wasn't too concerned about the extra person in the room. She was sure that she could slip off the ring from her own finger and onto Adrien's with no trouble, that Plagg could duck under his pillow if she bent down to kiss his forehead. But she didn't think she could now that she saw the severity of his condition. It would be too much of a risk to leave the kwami here. Adrien couldn't take care of himself, much less a secret spirit of destruction. But she'd promised Master Fu that she would return him.

"How long will he have to stay here?" She asked as the assistant replaced her handkerchief.

"Ten days, maybe more." Valerie felt Plagg's tiny claws on the back of her neck. She wished she could be alone with Adrien for just a moment so she could conference with the kwami about what to do. Should she leave the ring anyway, hoping that Paris would be quiet and safe? What if there was an akuma attack? What if Adrien tried to transform like this? The protection charm Master Fu had cast on Plagg was only for the kwami; it actually would be worse for the Chosen than before. As she deliberated, they were suddenly interrupted by the cold arrival of Gabriel.

"Nathalie, please work with the administration to have Adrien transferred home as soon as – What is she doing here?" Adrien's father marched into the room covered in authority. Nathalie jumped at his sudden appearance, and Valerie felt herself shrink. She turned her head away, gripping tight to Adrien's hand.

"Sir, this is the woman who found Adrien," Nathalie explained, her voice full of attempted boldness. "She called in the ambulance. I thought I'd give her a few minutes."

"I told you no visitors. Especially her. You," he barked at Valerie. "Leave immediately."

Valerie bent over Adrien, kissing his brow. "Be strong," she whispered to him, including herself in her blessing. She released his hand and stood straighter to leave. "Thank you," she said to Nathalie and began limping her way from the room, Plagg clinging tight to the back of her neck. She kept her face down but her back straight as she passed Gabriel, but just as she was about to take the last step into the hallway, he caught her by the shoulder and rather roughly turned her to look at him.

"I made it very clear," he growled, and Valerie knew he'd recognized her. "You were never to contact my family again." The tone of his voice, the arrogance, sent a spike of hot anger through her. She'd returned his son to him, and this is what he was going to say to her?

"Technically, the terms were limited to Emilie," she said coldly, watching his eyebrows lift in surprise. "Who wasn't your family at the time, and I have kept my end of the deal. I wouldn't have ever spoken to you again as a matter of principle not condition."

"How dare you?" She had no idea, but now that she'd started, she wasn't stopping.

"Because your son deserves better. Now take your hands off me; I'm leaving." She just barely caught Nathalie's shocked face as she turned away from Gabriel, who also had his mouth open. She shrugged him off and did her best to walk straight. It wasn't until they had stepped again outside that she realized she was shaking.

"That . . . didn't go the way I thought it would," Plagg sighed as he tucked himself into the collar of her sweater. "You just yelled at Adrien's father."

"He was kicking me out either way; what difference does it make?" Valerie snapped, still furious without anyone to take it out on now. "The worst part is that I wasn't able to return you to Adrien."

"What are we going to do?" Plagg asked, high pitched, as if the thought of being stuck with Valerie had just occurred to him.

"Go home for now. In ten days, or less if Gabriel manages it, Adrien will be out of the hospital, and I'll think of a way to sneak you in to him. Unless Master Fu comes for you first." She felt a pang of guilt as she said his name. She'd promised to return the Miraculous; he'd gone home thinking that the task was as good as done. But here she was on the sidewalk on her way back to her house.

"Valerie!"

She pulled her shoulders back and kept walking, forcing Gabriel to jog in the slush in order to catch her. Even when he came to her side, she did not stop.

"Are you certain," he asked her, his voice hard and forceful. "Absolutely certain that you kept to the terms?" She bristled. He'd come rushing out into the cold after her to ask her something like that? He may not be true to his word, but she certainly had been true to hers.

"How can you ask me that? I lost everything!"

"It just seems unnaturally convenient that you were the one to find my son tonight." The unspoken accusation brought a snarl to Valerie's lips, so she bit them. Did he think that she'd been stalking them?

"You should be grateful that someone was looking out for him." And just like that, with those words, Valerie broke Gabriel Agreste without even meaning to. He stopped walking, hands at his sides, loosely curled into fists. She didn't know what she'd intended her comment to do, but this reaction was a surprise. It had been a long time since she'd used the power of her words like this. She paused, seeing Gabriel as if he were nineteen again, the last time they'd spoken.

"I don't know where Emilie is, Gabriel," she told him, not without sadness. "She never came to me; I assumed you told her I was dead. It was a coincidence that I happened to see Adrien tonight, and I didn't even know it was him until I'd already decided to help him. I'm glad I did, for both your sakes, truly."

But he wasn't actually listening to her anymore. He'd seen a spark of hope when he'd recognized her, a tiny possibility that he hadn't entertained before that she'd now taken away from him just as quickly as he'd found it. She decided to leave him to his thoughts there on the pavement.

"I hope Adrien makes a full and quick recovery," she wished him, sincerely, before starting to walk again. "He's a wonderful boy."

"He – he is," Gabriel acknowledged, shaking himself slightly and pulling a phone from his pocket. "Let me call a driver for you. I didn't know you meant to walk home."

"Please don't, Gabriel," she dismissed. "As far as I'm concerned, I'd rather not be indebted to you for anything else."

"Valerie."

"Good-bye."

As quickly as she could without putting herself in danger of slipping, Valerie made her way from the hospital. Gabriel did not follow and Plagg remained quiet until they were about halfway home. Valerie was panting by this time, the cold stiffening her already stiff leg.

"You should have just let him drive you," Plagg told her.

"Absolutely not," Valerie huffed. "I don't want him to know where I live, and I don't want to owe him anything."

"Then maybe we could call a taxi?"

"No," Valerie growled, knowing there was nothing preventing her from doing that except her own pride. Once she had been a protector of Paris. Sometimes she thought that she was settled into her life, knowing that she was no longer a Chosen, no longer deserved to be. But then something like tonight would happen and she would resist settling. Accepting help was something she struggled with the most.

So by the time she finally reached her apartment and unlocked the door, she was completely numb and exhausted. Her home was comfortably warm, though dark and empty. Her clock told her it was almost three in the morning. Plagg left the security of her shoulders to return to the remnants of cheese on a platter she'd given him earlier. While he ate, she removed her boots, stretching her leg out on the sofa Adrien had rested on. She let her head fall back, draping her arm over her eyes.

"So what is this deal you have with Adrien's father?" Plagg broke in. "You didn't tell Master Fu about it."

"That's because it has nothing to do with the Miraculous," Valerie said. "He just didn't want me to talk to Emilie again."

"Why? What happened? Were you friends or something?"

"Or something. Look, I'm going to bed, ok? I'll try to find you more cheese at work tomorrow, do you think you'll have enough until then?"

"I'll live. I think."

"Good-night, then." Instead of going to her bedroom proper, she just pulled the afghan over herself, letting her eyes close. She would probably regret this in the morning, sleeping on the sofa, but she couldn't entertain the idea of getting up again right this second.

Plagg watched her, chewing slowly the last of his cheese, watching as her breathing deepened. What other information had she kept from Master Fu? She'd explained how she'd lost her Miraculous, where her scars had come from. There had been nothing about Gabriel, about why he would want to tell Emilie she had died.

He had few memories of his own. He'd been awoken with the other kwamis when Master Fu introduced Valerie to them, back when Chosen were groomed for instead of surprised with a Miraculous. She'd been fourteen at the time, just like Adrien. A dark-haired, dark-eyed girl with pale skin and sharp wit. He'd looked into her soul, as they all had, seeking out her best qualities, the strongest characteristics. She was good at emotion, at reading it in others. She'd come several times for training before she was Chosen. He hadn't entertained the idea of choosing her himself for very long. There had been something in her anger that fully decided him. She would succumb to darkness if he had given it to her. He wondered if it were still there. Maybe he would look. Tomorrow.

His hunger sated, he lazily drifted over to her, curling up beside her head on the cushions. It was warm here and Valerie was still very kind. He trusted her, but he missed Adrien. He didn't like seeing him there in the hospital with his eyes closed. He hoped they wouldn't be separated for very long.

BB

"Hey girl! Welcome back!" Alya wrapped an arm around her friend as she sat down, pressing their cheeks together.

"Alya, how was your break?" Marinette asked, pushing close before they both separated again to talk in the minutes before class.

"Chaotic," Alya answered, rolling her eyes playfully. "The twins got a set of musical instruments from our aunt this year."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it. What about you? Did you hear back about your gift? Any good news?"

Marinette felt her smile fade. She'd actually not heard anything from Adrien about the present she'd made for him. And he'd been missing from Chloe's New Year's party too.

"You did sign the card this time, right?" Alya asked.

"No, I did. I know I did this time. I actually did that first," Marinette sputtered.

"Maybe his bodyguard didn't give it to him?" Alya guessed, making Nino turn around.

"If you're talking about Adrien, there's a good chance he didn't get it yet."

"Maybe we were and maybe we weren't," Alya countered, though playfully. Nino gave her a loving sort of look that caught in Marinette's throat. "But if you know something, give us the scoop."

"His father took him to Switzerland for the holiday," Nino said. "He told me he wasn't sure when he'd be back. From what it sounded like, it might not be for a while yet. It was kind of a surprise, and I think that whole thing where Adrien disappeared on Christmas Eve made his father a little bit weird. It might be another one of those things where he won't allow him to go to school for a while."

"No!" Marinette squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Sorry, Marinette," Alya comforted just as their teacher arrived to call roll. Nino also mouthed an apology before turning back to the front. Marinette forced a smile and a shrug, as if it meant nothing to her, as if coming back to school to see Adrien hadn't been part of her thoughts every single day of break. She didn't think she could get any more disappointed, so she just let herself be upset at his father instead. Why did he always think to punish Adrien by keeping him away from them? It was so unfair. She was so caught up in thinking about it that she missed half of the lesson notes.

"Marinette, don't be sad," Tikki consoled from her bag as she walked home for lunch. "You know Mr. Agreste does this sort of thing all the time."

"Yeah, but I was really looking forward to seeing Adrien today. I mean, we still can't find Chat and now Adrien can't come to school and it's like all my friends are disappearing one by one."

"You're calling Chat your friend now?"

"Don't tease me, Tikki. You know I'm still worried about him."

"It'll be all right, Marinette. It's not unusual to not see Chat around when Paris is quiet, and Adrien loves coming to school; he'll work it out with his father. You just need to be patient."

"Ugh, patience."

Someone ran past Marinette, almost knocking her down. Then a couple sprinted by her, screaming. Marinette looked down at Tikki as more and more people continued to run past them.

"Guess it's time to find out if Chat Noir is around or not," Marinette said, surprised how excited she was about that, ducking behind a dumpster and watching the flood of Parisians trying to escape the newest akuma victim. "Tikki, spots on!" She swept her fingers over her cheeks, checking that the mask had appeared. Her clothes smoothed under the spotted bodysuit and her yo-yo snugged around her hips. She checked her hands, ready for action.

Ladybug decided against running into the crowd on the ground and opted instead for seeing the situation from above. With the help of her yo-yo, she found herself on a rooftop, scanning for the source of the panic. It was a woman in a nightgown (a nightgown?), and a belt with a bag dangling from it. She kept reaching her hand into it and blowing dust into the crowds. Where ever it settled, the people's eyes closed and they fell into the streets.

"Looks like sleeping dust," Ladybug guessed. "But where is the akuma?" She looked unconsciously behind her, waiting for Chat Noir before she engaged. It felt wrong for him not to arrive at this moment with some horrific pun and a smug look. She hated how much she missed it.

"Come on, Chat," she begged, watching as another man toppled over on the cement. But he wasn't coming, just as Tikki had predicted weeks ago on Christmas Eve. She'd have to fight this one on her own. Taking a deep breath, she ziplined on her yo-yo to the ground. Maybe she could just take her down from behind? Quick and painless?

BB

When the akuma siren had gone off in the city, Valerie turned off the heat to the soup she was making and flipped on the news. Plagg woke up and floated over to see what was going on. They'd been together all through Christmas, New Year's, and now they were well on their way into the second week of January. They were being deliberately gentle with each other, but it was clear to both of them that they really needed to return Plagg to Adrien soon. If only Valerie could manage it. She knew he was home now, but she'd been turned away by Nathalie three times with the threat of a restraining order the last visit, and Adrien never left the house. Plagg had even suggested she throw the ring through the main gate, but she'd turned him down with a glare. And since neither one of them could find Master Fu either, they'd both just fallen into the daily routine of scoping out the Agreste mansion for a sign of Adrien, Valerie actually showing up to her normal job at the hotel so she could keep buying Plagg cheese, and whining together about how much they missed Chat Noir. Fortunately, there hadn't been any akuma attacks.

Until today.

Valerie watched the snippets of amateur footage from ground zero where Ladybug was doing her best alone against the newest villain, a woman with the ability to put people to sleep by blowing dust on them. She was obviously having trouble getting close enough to grab a potential akuma vessel without being touched by the dust that zipped along in the villain's wake.

"Come on, Ladybug," she encouraged to the screen, amazed at her disorganized attacks. What was she doing? It was almost a disgrace. Had she always fought like this or was she having a really bad day?

"Valerie, we have to help her," Plagg finally said, resigned.

"What? How?" Valerie squawked, being deliberately ignorant about what Plagg was implying. She still wore the Miraculous on her hand. Plagg stared at her, obviously not happy about this either.

"It's ok, Valerie. Claws out - just say it."

"I can't do that." She backed away, covering the ring.

"I don't like it either, but she needs Chat Noir. We're meant to be a team."

"I didn't take the ring to do this."

"I know. But Adrien can't right now."

"I'm not fourteen anymore, Plagg. Have you looked at me lately? I'm –"

Plagg zoomed right into her face, putting both his little paws on her nose. She shook him off her, not willing to look at him cross-eyed. He backed up a few inches, but stayed right in her line of vision, his green eyes practically sparking.

"You're not broken, Valerie," he scolded impatiently. "I can make up for what you don't have. It won't be like Adrien. I have a protective charm and you're healed enough – just take it easy on the left."

"Why are you pushing this?"

"Because I wouldn't be able to face him if something happens to her, that's why."

She remembered the look on his face, how in love with her he was, the reckless kind. The kind that makes people do things that aren't good choices. If he knew that she had been too afraid to help. If something happened. She didn't think she could face him either.

"This is a horrible plan," she told Plagg, and he just nodded.

"No one's denying that," he agreed. "But it's the only one we have."

"Ok, fine. Let's help her."

"Easy on the left," Plagg warned again.

"Plagg – Claws out!" The kwami grinned at her before shooting into the ring. Valerie watched as darkness gloved her hands, soaking her in borrowed power. For several seconds, she just stood in her apartment, looking at herself, testing what Plagg had given her. She put weight on her left leg, gasping as she bent her knee almost to the ground without pain. Her hand was still missing fingers, but the three she had remaining flexed perfectly sound. She blinked repeatedly as Chat's vision came to both her eyes. She was, in this moment, restored enough that it made her giddy. Her only sadness was that she was now alone. Plagg was busy keeping her battle ready; she couldn't share this triumph with him even though he was the one giving it to her.

Her other Miraculous had allowed her the power of flight, but Chat Noir did not have that. She reached behind her for the baton, extending it until it was just taller than she was. How did he do this? Cautiously, she went outside, trusting everyone to be so distracted by what was going on elsewhere in the city to notice Chat Noir stepping out of her apartment. She jogged across the courtyard rather awkwardly at first but picked up speed as she began to trust in her body again. She planted the baton and vaulted herself into the sky, not quite flying but not far from it. Amazingly, there was still some muscle memory in her for this. She clutched the baton, ready to plant it again for another leap. The cold snapped her face, but she just laughed. She didn't really know how much she had missed this until it was hers again.

BB

Ladybug was stuck in a stalemate. She had to get close to the akuma, but she couldn't. She'd tried masking the dust with an umbrella, which had only sent it up and almost over her before she'd danced back. She'd tried tying the woman up with her yo-yo string, but then she'd turned to dust and rematerialized elsewhere. She was out of ideas and getting tired.

"What do I do?" She asked the air as she crouched behind a building. The akuma was calling to her, offering her safe passage away if she'd hand over her Miraculous.

"Need some help?" said a voice close to her, and she jerked to a standing position, arms up for defense, until she recognized the black cat in front of her.

"Chat Noir!" She yelped, throwing herself at him. But the arms she expected to open for her simply grabbed her biceps and held her back. She felt her relief melt.

"Only temporarily," was the answer and Ladybug took another good look at her teammate. This wasn't her Chat. The voice was older, a woman's voice, and she was a bit taller than Chat Noir with darker hair. "Now let's get that akuma."

"But who are you? Where's Chat Noir?"

"He's unable to help you. I've been entrusted with the Miraculous in his place. I'm Chat Noir right now." She held out her hand, presenting the ring for Ladybug's inspection.

Ladybug swallowed her worry and tears, knowing this was the last place she could afford to break down. She felt as though something important had been stolen from her, something she would never find again, a piece of memory ripped away. She disliked this Chat Noveau (she would never call her Chat Noir, not ever) immediately, but what choice did she have? She needed a partner, and the Miraculous was his.

"Let's go," Ladybug commanded bravely, impulsively dashing from the protection of the building and almost right into a cloud of sleeping dust. She yelped, leaping backward, as a dart of black whipped around her, baton spinning as a huge fan, blowing the dust away from them.

"Use your power!" Chat Noveau yelled as she spun, trying to move forward to put more distance between the akuma and Ladybug. She'd been avoiding doing that, knowing it would leave her only five minutes to work and also knowing that Chat usually bought her time while she puzzled out whatever landed in her hands. But now she had backup.

"Lucky Charm!" She yelled, tossing her yo-yo into the air and catching . . . a baby doll?

Chat Noveau continued to keep the akuma victim at bay, trying to blow her dust back into her face with the obvious intent that maybe it would also put her to sleep. Ladybug looked at them long enough to register her temporary teammate's moves. She used a fighting style different than Chat Noir; she was clumsier with his baton as if she were used to a different weapon. But she was still getting the job done in keeping their enemy distracted. Ladybug scanned her surroundings, her Charmed eyesight landing on the canopy of a crepe stand, Chat's baton, and the woman's belt of sand. She flipped the doll over, noticing a switch that would turn it on and off. She used her thumb to activate it.

The doll had a surprisingly realistic cry to it. Ladybug instinctively cradled it in her arms before realizing what she was doing. The akumatized woman stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide at the sound as she looked for its source. Her lips pursed into an automatic shush.

"The canopy!" Ladybug yelled at Chat Noveau as she began running towards them. Chat gave her a puzzled look for only an instant before ripping it off and flapping it down, causing all the sand between Ladybug and the woman to blow away, leaving her path clear. The woman had her hands outstretched, reaching for the doll. Ladybug threw it to her, causing her to slide to her knees in order to catch it before it touched the ground, not realizing it was not a real child. Ladybug raced past her, grabbing Chat's baton out of her hand and slipping it underneath the woman's belt, using its leverage to break it off of her. She scooped it off the ground and tossed it over to Chat Noveau.

"All yours," she invited, and again Chat Noveau looked at a loss of what she was supposed to do, but then she nodded.

"Cataclysm!" She yelled, and though she winced as she did it, she put her palm over the bag, turning the dust black and forcing the akuma into the air. Ladybug used her yo-yo to snatch it midflight.

"Bye-bye, little butterfly," she said to the now white and harmless creature as it fluttered from the purification. Chat Noveau had her mouth open, one of her hands outstretched to the insect, her eyes wide and hurt. The butterfly hovered close to her momentarily, almost landing on her fingers before flying away. Ladybug was about to ask her what was going on, but the woman on the ground distracted her.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" She considered the now quiet doll in her arms. "Where's my baby?"

"It's all over," Ladybug told her gently. "I'm sure your baby is fine and waiting for you at home." She took the doll, helping the woman to her feet and letting her hurry back to where she'd come from before all this had started. Then she threw her Lucky Charm into the air with the incantation that would restore Paris and its victims to where they were before the attack began.

She then turned to her new partner, unsettled. Automatically, she'd brought her fingers together for a fist bump, but she stopped herself. Not with this one. That was something special she shared with her other partner, her real one. She didn't like how this Chat was looking at her, wild and disappointed.

"Thanks for backing me up," she said, trying to let go of her hostile feelings. After all, she had come to help her when she needed it. It wasn't her fault that she had the Miraculous right now.

"You fight like this?" Chat Noveau asked, her tone disgusted.

"Um, the doll was a surprise, but the charm is sort of unpredictable." She wasn't sure what she was getting at, or why she sounded like that.

"But he'll do it that way for you," she went on, more talking to herself now. "He'll sacrifice himself every time."

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug asked, uncomfortable, irrationally defensive without knowing why.

"You're sloppy. Undisciplined," Noveau told her. "And you can be that way because of how you let him pick up the slack – how your charm will fix your damage. That won't always work for you."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ladybug demanded, upset. It wasn't like her Miraculous had come with an instruction manual or anything. It wasn't like she'd been prepared for her role as a superhero or had much time to dedicate to being a better one. She'd just had to fake it. And it had turned out all right, hadn't it? The woman was saved. No one had been permanently hurt.

This time.

The green cat eyes softened then closed. "Never mind," she said quietly, putting a hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "It's not my place. We're about to change back. Hopefully, we won't have to work together again."

She held out her hand for her baton, which Ladybug handed over numbly. Then she disappeared over a building, leaving her alone on the street. She heard people calling to her, asking her questions about Chat, about her battle, calling out thanks and admiration. She felt the corners of her mouth turn up in a smile, felt her hand lift in a gentle wave. She bowed to the gathering crowd without looking at any one person before she too grabbed tight to her yo-yo and let it pull her away.

By the time she arrived back at school, everyone was buzzing over the latest fight and Chat Noir's new look.

"Check it out!" Alya invited, pulling Marinette by the wrist so she could look at her phone. "He's so different! Do you think his hair is going dark because he's Chat _Noir_ or do you think he's going goth or something?"

"Maybe it's not really him," Marinette suggested, her voice much more bitter than she wanted it to be.

"Don't be silly. Ladybug wouldn't have fought with him if he weren't the real one. And only Chat Noir can do that cataclysm thing. I wonder if I could get an interview somehow? Man, I wish I knew how to find them when they aren't in costume."

"Me too," Marinette sighed, tired and hungry, thinking of her Chat. She hadn't had time for lunch. She felt Alya peck her kindly on the cheek.

"Well if you ever do have a meet up with one of them, you'll call me first, right?"

"You know I will."

"Good girl. Now come on before we're late to Physics."

BB

"The bloodwork came back perfect. It looks like we can discontinue the antibiotics now, but I'd like to come back in a week for another check up."

Adrien was only half listening to the physician, just as the physician was only half speaking to Adrien. Mostly, he was talking to Gabriel, who stood to the side of Adrien's bed, hands behind his back. But he had heard the most important things. Perfect. Discontinue. Future.

"Does that mean I can go back to school?" Adrien put out the question to both of them, though he was already anticipating the answer. Two days ago, he'd needed help going to the bathroom, after all.

"Out of the question," Gabriel began just as Adrien knew he would, but the doctor stopped him.

"I highly recommend that he does," he countered, and Adrien felt a burst of gratitude towards him. He rarely got to see anyone contradict his father's wishes once they'd been spoken. "Getting back to his normal routine will be the best recovery. However, you do need to take it easy for a while. No sports and give yourself more time for your usual activities. You'll probably need breaks."

"I think he would rest better if he stayed here," Gabriel protested.

"If we were dealing with a different type of illness, I'd agree with you," explained the doctor, the one that Gabriel had personally selected for this. "However, the majority of cases like Adrien's have lingering symptoms that resolve best if the patient is not isolated." And now he had Adrien's full attention.

"Like what?" He asked, a bit frightened. He was more than done with being sick.

"There's some you would expect like fatigue, joint and muscle pain, but for some reason sepsis patients also experience insomnia, anxiety and depression, some have panic attacks and hallucinations. They have trouble concentrating. Some have nightmares. Sometimes it takes up to eighteen months for these things to fully go away, or even longer, but the research is clear that contact with friends and adhering as much as possible to a normal routine diminishes these symptoms at a faster rate. I'll be checking for these things next week when I come back. In the meantime, if you'd like to go to school, Adrien, I think you should go. But pay attention to your body. Go half a day if you're too tired. Invite your friends here instead of going out if you're in pain. Build yourself a support team at school. I'm sure you have close friends you can talk to about this?"

"Um, yeah? I think so," Adrien said, thinking of Nino.

"Good. I know you wanted to keep this secret," and here he was speaking to Gabriel again. "So you don't need to tell everyone, but someone should know how to help Adrien since he will be going about his daily activities outside of the home. If I were you, I'd consider meeting with them here before Adrien starts going outside, just to make sure everyone is on the same page and plans are in place in case something happens where he needs to come home quickly."

He stood up then, ready to leave, patting Adrien on the shoulder. "You're recovering fine, Adrien, so be patient with yourself. All right?"

"All right," Adrien nodded, looking at his bedspread.

"I'll see you next week, then, after school."

"I'll have Nathalie arrange for you to return tomorrow," Gabriel gave in after the doctor left. Adrien smiled at him.

"Thank you, Father," he said, truly grateful. He received a quiet nod in return.

"But until then, rest as much as possible. I'll have lunch brought up to you later." He turned on the spot and left Adrien with the expectation that he would sleep, which Adrien had no intention of doing. First, he sent a text to Nino, asking him to come over after school today, knowing he was in class and wouldn't be able to respond for several hours. Then he stood up to take an experimental lap around his room without someone hovering over him while he did it. The first steps were wonky, but he straightened up as he went, his breathing even, his vision clear. He could totally do this. He was so ready to get back to his life.

He'd been told how close he came to losing it.

His sense of time for the past several weeks was sketchy; there were only certain images and feelings that stood out to him. Apparently, he'd tried to claw his IV out on multiple occasions. He'd asked his nurses about Ladybug a lot. He remembered his father's hand on his chest, a surprisingly calming feeling steadying his breathing that he wished he felt more comfortable asking for again. Gabriel had also played the piano for him after he'd been cleared to receive treatment at home with a full staff instead of staying at the hospital. Most of his holiday break, he'd been sedated or sleeping. It was impossible for him to determine what had been real during that haze.

He did remember waking up in his room one night screaming. Both his father and Nathalie had come to his side. Nathalie taking one hand while his father threw his arms around him, holding him tightly and whispering in his ear. He didn't know what he said, but he had calmed down at the pressure. They'd all fallen asleep in a tangled pile that way, waking several hours later to find Nathalie's glasses askew, her head over his hand as she slept kneeling by his bed. Gabriel had stretched out next to him.

That was the first morning where his memories stayed. He remembered being told that his eyes were clearer. The first time his temperature had remained normal all day. He'd been allowed ice chips and sips of a fruit smoothie. Nathalie told him what happened to him and how much time had passed. She told him about the woman who had found him on Christmas Eve, but couldn't answer all the questions he asked about her. He remembered her face, the scar across it. He remembered some of what happened the night she found him. He remembered Ladybug coming to see him, but nothing after she left.

And his ring was missing.

Adrien paused in his second trip walking around his room, looking at his right hand, at the place where his Miraculous should be. He couldn't do it long before getting dizzy. He remembered Plagg, what he'd done to him, even after he'd been warned. He didn't remember losing the Miraculous, but he remembered enough to know that it had probably been taken from him. That he was no longer worthy to be a Chosen, to be Chat Noir, that his mistake had cost him Plagg.

The room was full on spinning now, so he sat down on the floor, trying to get a grip on his breathing, wondering where his kwami was now, who he was with. Was he ok? Would he ever see him again? How could he have screwed up like that? He curled up on the floor, pressing his hands against his chest to try and calm himself down. This is what his doctor was telling him about before. But had he told him what to do to stop it? Had that been part of the conversation?

His phone buzzed, distracting him from worrying about Plagg. Nino had replied to his request to come over later. Apparently he was jazzed to see Adrien again and hear all about his time in Switzerland. Adrien wondered if he had actually texted Nino that he was in Switzerland or if someone else had done it to prevent questioning as to where he actually was. He texted that he was excited to see Nino too, then let his hand and his phone fall onto his stomach as he turned over on his back on his floor.

Don't think about Plagg, he warned his mind, trying to keep it together now that he had a slippery hold on himself. Don't think about scars. Don't think about IVs. Don't think about snow. Don't think. Don't think. Don't. He closed his eyes and felt the memory of Ladybug's kiss on his forehead. He took a deep breath.

BB

Valerie practically fell through her door seconds before her transformation wore off, landing in a heap on her rug as Plagg plopped on top of her. Her cheeks were half frozen from flying through Paris. She was practically drunk with the excitement of what she'd just done.

"Plagg, we did it!" She gushed, not even trying to get off the floor. "You were incredible! OH!" She sat up suddenly, plucking Plagg off her lap and into her hands. "Are you ok, though? Was it too hard? Did I hurt you?"

"Cheese?" Plagg asked instead of answering.

"Of course. Give me a minute," Valerie said as she pulled herself to her feet. She took one step with her left leg and only barely caught herself on her table as it buckled under her, crying out in surprise and pain. She'd forgotten, just that quickly. "Guess I still need this," she joked around a whimper, stretching to reach the cane she'd left balanced against her chair. With one hand around her cane and the other supporting her on the table, she limped her way around to her kitchen to pull out some cheese for the kwami. He floated listlessly to his usual place as she supplied him with his favorite after-battle fuel-up. Valerie sat down awkwardly, watching him as he ate with her hand pressed against her stinging left eye.

"You're ok?" She asked again.

"It's harder," Plagg confessed, his mouth full. "You take more energy, but I'm ok, it didn't hurt me or anything." He swallowed. "You?"

"I'm fine," she said, willing it to be true. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, her body felt tingly and weird. Not pain exactly, or at least not deep pain, but definitely off somehow. "But Plagg, did you see the butterfly?"

"I was focused on other things," he admitted. "Like helping you walk." Right. Kwamis didn't get to actually witness what was going on while they were assisting a transformation. She'd have to tell him.

"It came to me," she explained, remembering the creature's pause as it passed her, how it almost had landed on her hand. "Like it remembered. Tell me. Have you and Adrien ever strategized on how to find Hawkmoth? Do you have any idea where or who he is?"

"No. We're busy enough with keeping Paris safe one monster at a time and making sure Adrien keeps up appearances as a normal teenager. We don't really have any extra time to go on a search. We have absolutely no clue."

"But you know he's in the city," Valerie pressed, massaging her left hand. "We could do this."

"Do what?" Plagg said sleepily.

"Find Hawkmoth. Find my Miraculous. We could get it back. You and me together; we could do it."

"Valerie," Plagg lectured, his eyes closed, obviously not taking her as seriously as she meant to be taken. "You need to return me to Adrien. We worked together today to save Ladybug for him. He's still my Chosen."

"I know that," Valerie said, slightly crestfallen. "But until I can get you back to him, don't you think it would help him in the end if we made some progress on discovering where Hawkmoth is?"

Plagg opened one eye to stare at her, a searching, piercing gaze. One she remembered him giving her before, before she'd been Chosen, when the kwamis were all looking at her one by one. The look he used to peer into her soul. The look right before he'd rejected her.

"One week," he granted. "And we are keeping transformations at a two-hour minimum. You take a lot of effort."

"Thank you, Plagg! I am going to buy you so much cheese."

"You'd better."

She picked up the plate as the dark kwami drifted off, placing it quietly into her sink and turning the burner back on under her almost forgotten soup. The clock on the stove told her she still had a little over an hour before work. Absently, she rubbed her left eye, but when she reached for her spoon afterward she did a double take. There was blood on her hand. She turned the spoon, trying to use it as a mirror, surprised to see crimson staining the milky white film on her eye. It wasn't much, just a bit, obviously from the strain of being Chat Noir. She ran some water, washed her hands, and pressed a warm wet cloth to her face. Not a big deal, she assured herself. Not that bad, considering. Not even worth mentioning to Plagg. She looked over at the table, but Plagg wasn't there anymore. He had taken up his usual favorite spot by Valerie's fireplace. Fast asleep. Definitely not worth mentioning. She picked up her spoon again and stirred her soup.

Author's Note: I've asked my daughter's permission to take this story forward since she has other interests now (Like Barbie – what in the world? You make me obsessed with this ridiculous show and then you stop watching it? Then you make me LOVE your original character and now you're abandoning her? For Barbie?) She gave me the events of this chapter and a bit of where she thought it should go in the end, though. In grudging little snippets. I'm giving you a sample so you know how our creative process goes. I stick her in the bathtub where she can't get away from me and get my Notebook of Interrogation.

Me: So if Valerie has Plagg, should she have to use him to fight an akuma with Ladybug?  
Her: Yeah, but Ladybug is going to HATE IT, and Valerie won't like it either because Ladybug doesn't fight like she used to fight and she thinks her way is better.  
Me: Will everyone know that she isn't the real Chat Noir?  
Her: No, people are really easy to trick if someone is wearing a mask in this show. They won't notice. Except for Ladybug. She knows Chat Noir best.  
Me: So Ladybug will know that Valerie is the new Chat Noir?

Her (rolling her eyes): No, Mom. She's wearing a Mask. She just knows it's not the same one.

Me: Ok, got it. So what sort of an akuma? What powers should it have? How did the person become an akuma victim in the first place?  
Her: Um, she should be a mom with a brand-new baby. And she gets really mad because the baby was finally sleeping but then something woke her up. And the mom is grumpy because she's super tired, so Hawkmoth makes her an akuma who can make everyone go to sleep so everything will be quiet.  
Me: Are you talking about me? When your brother was brand new?  
Her: Yep.

Me: Fine, but how will Ladybug and Chat Noir beat her?  
Her: You figure it out.

Love my girl! Hope you like her story as much as I do.


	3. Chapter 3: Tighter

**Anyone up for a fluffy chapter? I know I love them.**

Chapter Three: Tighter

By the time Nino arrived at the Agreste estate, Adrien had managed a shower, some of his lunch, and a really long unintentional nap. He was seated at his piano, reminding himself that he was going to get back into his normal routine, which meant that he was supposed to be playing right now. Except his fingers were too stiff and swollen from medications and IV fluid to do much of anything besides plunking out the most basic of melodies. His entire right hand was bruised from the IV puncture site, sorry, from three puncture sites – they had tried multiple times to get a successful tap – all the way to his elbow. It was a mess.

"Be patient with yourself," he said out loud, frustrated, turning the little mantra into a ditty with the piano keys. It didn't help that it had all been his own fault. He felt his breathing speed up at the thought.

"Adrien?" Nathalie's voice preceded her knock on his bedroom door. "Your friend is here."

"Good," Adrien sighed, slipping himself off the bench and starting toward the door. "Come in," he called. He paused as the door opened from the other side, revealing Nathalie's questioning face. She was making sure he was still up for this, her expression telling him clearly that she would be completely capable of turning Nino around and sending him back home if Adrien had suddenly decided he didn't want company after all.

"Thanks, Nathalie," he told her. "We're good."

"Let me know if you need anything," she said seriously, then moved out of the way for Nino to go in. Adrien smiled broadly as his friend half tripped on Nathalie, too eager and more than a little awkward. He was so vivid to Adrien, who had been looking at mostly washed out things lately, white walls, white uniforms, white liquid. Nino's color, from his skin to his hat to his bracelets, gave Adrien energy just from looking at him.

Nino rushed him first thing, grabbing him tight like he hadn't seen him in months. Well, this time it had been weeks, but it wasn't unusual for Nino to greet him this way every day. It was actually endearing, how he treated their relationship like every moment was such a gift. Possibly because he knew that Adrien could be ripped out of his life at any second.

"Dude!" He said enthusiastically, but then he pulled back and actually looked at Adrien, his face sobering. "Dude," he repeated. Adrien put a hand on the back of his neck, taking a step backward. The whole point of having Nino come over was to tell him the truth, but now that they were here, he was extremely uncomfortable about it. "Switzerland did not do you any favors, my man."

"Yeah, about that," Adrien began, trying to smile, trying to pretend like this was no big deal. "Switzerland did not actually happen."

"Ok," Nino accepted with the casual grace that Adrien loved about him. Nothing about how he'd been lied to. Not even shocked. "So can you tell me what did happen or am I not supposed to ask why you look like you've been through a washing machine?"

Adrien heard himself laugh, a weird tiny, sort of crying kind of sound. "Is it that bad?" He asked.

"Well, you've looked better. Like. A lot." Adrien looked at Nino's shoes, wondering how to even start. He felt Nino's hand on his shoulder. "Level with me," his friend invited. "What's going on with you?"

For a second, he thought he was going to cry, but when he opened his mouth, the explanation just began pouring out of him, starting with his disappointing Christmas Eve. Nino's face turned extremely serious, and at one point he took Adrien by the shoulders and forced him to his couch, sitting next to him and keeping one hand on his arm as he continued to talk. He left out some of the details, the cataclysm, his missing ring, Ladybug's kiss.

Nathalie came to check on them, bringing a dish of fruit, bread, and water with her, but her presence was so swift and quiet that the teens couldn't quite remember her bringing it even after they'd finished eating everything she'd offered.

"So I'm going to school tomorrow," Adrien finished, finally. "If it's ok with you to kind of be my wingman?"

"For sure," Nino agreed instantly, obviously happy to be of any service, particularly now that he knew that Adrien had been suffering without him all this time. "I got your back, bro."

"Ok, great," Adrien sighed, grateful, turning quiet. They just sat there for a few moments after, not sure where to go from here. What they should do now.

"Oh, hey! There it is!" Nino suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from the couch. Adrien blinked, surprised, watching Nino dart across the large room only to get down on his knees, digging under Adrien's bed. When he sat up, he was holding a present wrapped in purple and gold. As soon as he saw it, Adrien remembered his bodyguard handing it to him as he went up the stairs. He'd tossed it on his bed before leaving and somehow it had ended up underneath, unnoticed. He'd completely forgotten about it.

"It's from Marinette," Nino said as he returned to the couch, handing the gift to Adrien. "I told her you probably hadn't gotten it yet; she was stressing." Adrien felt a shiver of guilt go through him. Marinette had given this to him? It'd been so long since Christmas. She probably thought he hated whatever was inside since he'd said nothing to her about it. "You gonna open it?" Nino invited.

"What? Oh, yeah, of course." But as he turned it over in his hands, they started shaking. He couldn't quite manage enough grip to undo the ribbon. Was she upset? Had he hurt her feelings? What did Nino mean, stressing?

"Geeze, dude, your hand," Nino was saying, noticing the bruises for the first time. "Here; let me help you." He reached for the present, but Adrien couldn't let it go. He also couldn't really breathe. He just looked at his friend, whose eyes widened as their gazes met. "This is what you were talking about, isn't it?" He said, knowing that Adrien probably couldn't answer. "No sweat," he continued. "Pressure, right? It's cool. Let's figure it out together – like a test run." He was so pure; Adrien was so grateful. "Can you move? Let's sit like we're in class. Yeah, that way. Good. And we'll pretend there's a desk here. How's this?" Nino put his hand on Adrien's knee, pushing firmly. It didn't help much.

"Ok, so much for the discreet method. How about this?" He took Adrien's left wrist, pushing his fingers against the pressure points on the top and bottom, releasing, then pressing again, a slow and steady rhythm. Adrien leaned into it, but still couldn't get his breathing slowed down. Nino frowned, letting him go as he got up on his knees on the sofa in order to grab Adrien from behind, reaching around him and pressing a hand against his chest, hard. He could feel Nino's breaths in his back, the normal in and out. He felt his body start to slow down in order to match it. "That's it, man," Nino encouraged. Adrien reached up and curled his hand around his friend's wrist, his head bowing down, exhausted. As he calmed down, Nino released him incrementally until he was kneeling next to him with only a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to go to school tomorrow?" Nino checked him.

"One hundred percent," Adrien said, as if he hadn't just fallen to pieces.

"Ok," Nino said slowly, thinking. "Looks like you've got a choice to make then."

"What?" He asked, not following.

"If that's the only way to get you to calm down, then there's no way this is going to stay a secret. Someone's going to notice me full on bear hugging you, probably everyone. You're going to have to let the class know." Adrien felt his face contort in protest. No way he was doing that. "Or you could stay home until you're better?"

"No!" Adrien said again, even though he knew Nino was right. If he didn't want anyone to see him freaking out over nothing, he'd have to stay here. But if he wanted to get better, he'd have to go to school, which meant everyone would know. Unless he just kept it together in the classroom. He didn't entertain that idea long. If he'd lost it over the possibility of hurting Marinette's feelings in not thanking her for a gift he hadn't even known about, then that outlook didn't seem very probable. What would they say if they knew?

"All right, chill out," Nino interrupted his thoughts, trying to get him to relax before he panicked again. "What about this? What if we just told the girls?"

"Girls?" Adrien said, trying to focus as he sorted this out.

"Alya and Marinette, behind us. It'll draw a lot less attention if you let Marinette help you."

"Marinette," Adrien repeated, feeling stupid.

"Yeah, she can just lean over her desk; she's already behind you. It'll be a lot subtler. I think it'll work."

"You think she'd be ok with that?" Adrien asked, slightly worried. Marinette smiled at him a lot, but she didn't really talk to him. He'd even caught her ducking out of sight when he looked at her, like she was trying to avoid him. Nino smiled reassuringly, taking the gift from Adrien and pulling back the paper, revealing a sky-blue scarf inside. It was beautiful.

"Trust me; she's ok with it," he said, as Adrien pulled the softness away from the wrapping, smoothing it in his hands in admiration. "In fact, we all would be, but we'll try to keep it tight if that's how you want it. Now put that on. Let's take a little walk around your front yard."

BB

"You want me to what now?" Marinette asked a second, or maybe third time, as she put her coat and mittens into her locker. Nino's request had seemed so wild to her, something that she daydreamed about that couldn't ever be real, that she had to check him to make sure she'd heard him right. Alya giggled at her side, the long-suffering sound she made when Marinette was being slightly ridiculous about something that wasn't a big deal.

"Keep it on the down low," Nino cautioned before he explained again. "But Adrien might need you to lean over in class and, well, hug him. Tight. Hand right here," Nino demonstrated on his own chest. "And breathe slow."

"Is this a joke?" Alya said, concerned about someone maybe trying to play a prank on Marinette. Nino looked at her, slightly offended that she didn't trust him.

"It's not," Adrien said as he joined them. Marinette felt herself melt a little. Finally! He was finally back, standing a few feet away from her. Except he didn't look like himself. He looked pale, washed out, tired, way too thin. He looked like maybe she should hug him right now. Two seconds of looking at him made them both realize that Nino was not joking. Adrien had been through something serious, and Marinette was ready to do whatever she could to help him. "I might not need it, but in case I do, will you help me, Marinette?"

"Of course, I'd love to hug you, HELP YOU, I'd help to love you. I mean, sure thing. You can count on me." Alya pinched her in the side, shutting her up. Adrien gave her a soft smile as she hid her face in her hands. She felt a little whoosh in the air around her, then an arm draping around her neck. Marinette slumped a little into what she expected was Alya comforting her after her embarrassing outburst.

"Thank you, Marinette," Adrien whispered close to her ear, causing her to stiffen completely. He was still standing in front of her? She squeaked unintelligibly. He let her go.

"And thanks for the scarf," he said as she peeked from between her fingers, watching him turn toward the classroom. "I love it."

"Don't you forget to breathe," Alya commanded, poking Marinette in the arm as she leaned against her locker, hands clasped tightly together.

"He loves my scarf," she whispered contentedly.

"I should hope so; you only spent fifty hours knitting it," Alya said, smiling fondly at her. "Come on."

She nodded as she obediently followed Alya down the hallway, turning serious and thinking more about Adrien. His voice was strong, but he still looked terrible. And she was worried over what Nino had told them. The things he mentioned that Adrien was going through sounded pretty scary. She was extremely happy to see him again, glad that his father hadn't forbidden him from leaving his house or anything like that, but she wondered if his coming back to school was actually a good idea. It seemed he needed more recovery time.

She kept her eyes on him carefully as her classmates entered the room and found their seats, but she didn't notice anything alarmingly different about him other than the harsh looking bruise covering his hand and running up under his sleeve. Maybe he was ok.

"Good morning, students," their teacher greeted as she cheerfully came to stand in front of them. She nodded specifically to Adrien as they all chorused a good morning back to her.

"Before we get started on our regular lesson, I wanted to explain a special assignment to you. I mean for it to take until the close of this term and will be for extra credit points only. As you know, akuma attacks on Paris are getting more and more frequent, and while we are all grateful for the heroic efforts of Ladybug and Chat Noir, I've been thinking of how we, as civilians and students, can help them. And I propose acts of service as a way we can make Paris a less negative, friendlier environment where it will be a struggle for Hawkmoth to find someone sad or lonely, angry or afraid."

There were chitterings among the students now, murmurings of agreement and some of question. Miss Bustier held her hands up for quiet.

"What I'd like for you to do is to perform an act of kindness, or service. You can do something different every day for a new person, or you can choose a specific person to help throughout the project. Since this will be a term-long assignment, I expect you to engage in several hours of service. There is no limit to how much kindness you put into the world, but there will be a five-hour minimum if you would like your project to be eligible for points. Also, your services should not be financially based. I don't want you to incur expenses for what you're doing, and I do not want you to accept pay. On the last week of school, please have written a summary of your experiences. I want to know what you did, for whom, how many hours you donated, and most importantly, how doing this made you feel. I think we'll all be surprised how much power we have over the well-being of our neighbors."

"And how much extra credit can we expect for all this?" Chloe put out, half raising her hand.

"I will assign points on a case-by-case basis," Miss Bustier clarified. "It will depend very much on effort rather than act. For some of you, simply saying hello to someone will require much courage, while for others, it's just something you do without thinking. This will be a very personal thing for each of you. If you would like to discuss your ideas before beginning to see if we agree, please meet me after class. Are there any questions now before we move on?"

"Can we work in pairs or teams?" Alya queried.

"Certainly. You can decide what you do and if you'd like a partner or team to do it with. Working together is something you can choose if you like, and I recommend it. Any other questions?"

There were none, satisfying Miss Bustier into introducing their next book of study, _Don Quixote_ by Miguel de Cervantes. While she spoke about the Spanish Golden Age and the thematic elements they were to watch for in the story, Marinette split her attention between her notes and Adrien's. He paused often to stretch out his hand, and once he reached quickly over to Nino, who clamped down hard around his wrist, putting Marinette on high alert, but they only stayed that way for a minute before Adrien pulled back again. Marinette looked to Nino after this, but his focus stayed up front. She didn't think she'd missed a cue. Maybe they didn't need her after all.

By the time the morning break arrived, all anyone could talk about was the service project. Marinette had been concentrating so hard on Adrien, she hadn't given it much thought.

"It's such a great idea," gushed Rose.

"Very clever," agreed Max. Several people asked at once a variation of "what are you going to do?" which settled into a confused silence. While everyone was supportive and excited about the project, no one had any ideas for what sort of service they wanted to commit to yet. Out of the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed Nino sitting Adrien on a bench a little ways off, pushing him gently down and then bending over him worriedly. She excused herself to go check on them.

"I'm really fine," Adrien was saying as she joined them, a tired smile on his face. "I'm glad I came. This is much better than hanging out alone in my room." In a moment of tender boldness, Marinette sat next to him, feeling somewhat responsible for him since he had asked for her help in classes. He didn't turn his head from Nino to acknowledge her, but he did reach over to her. She copied Nino from class, using one hand to clench tight around his wrist, squeezing slightly at intervals, while she held his hand properly with the other.

"Am I going to be your service project, Marinette?" Adrien asked her suddenly, bringing his bright green eyes over to meet hers. She heard herself make that ridiculous squeaking noise again, his attention on her too quick for her to think of anything to say.

"No, of course not. I mean, if you want to be, but I don't think of you as a project. I just came to check on you, areyoudoingallright?" He laughed, a little breathlessly, squeezing her fingers slightly.

"Yeah," he answered. "That really helps," he continued, looking down at their hands, then back up to her face, where his expression froze, his hand spasming in hers.

"You sure?" She asked, aware that in the last three seconds everything in him had changed. What was going on? What did he need from her? What should she do? He blinked quickly, shaking his head a bit, then looked back at her again.

"Adrien?" Nino said, exchanging a worried glance with Marinette.

"I'm ok," he answered slowly, staring at Marinette's face. His hand went limp in hers, and he pulled it back to his own lap slowly.

"Marinette!" Alya was calling from where she stood in a huddle with Mylene, Rose, and Juleka.

"Coming," Marinette said over her shoulder. "Unless you need me?"

"It's fine," Adrien told her, as if he were trying to convince himself, very pointedly not looking at her face. "Really."

"Don't push yourself," she admonished him, leaving him to Nino. "I'll see you in class."

They managed the rest of the day completely normal, with Marinette waving to Adrien through the window of his car as he was driven home and nodding to Nino as he headed off like they'd accomplished some major feat in pulling Adrien through his school day. Maybe they had. She walked part of the way to her house with Alya, making future plans, talking about Adrien and how impressed Alya was at how well Marinette was taking her new assignment in looking after him, and listening to her talk about her newest post on the Ladyblog.

"There's tons of speculation on the battle yesterday," Alya was saying. Marinette shook her focus away from remembering Adrien's face at break when he sort of shut down to actually pay full attention to what Alya was saying.

"Speculation? What kind?" She asked, kicking little paths in the snow as she walked, pretending not to be as truly interested as she was.

"It was completely different than usual," Alya said slyly. "Didn't you notice?" Wow, had Marinette ever noticed!

"Not really," she lied.

"Yeah, I get it, no one's as obsessed as me, but I was looking over the footage again, and the butterfly actually went over to Chat Noir. It didn't just flutter away like it always does. What does that mean, you think?"

"That's the only thing that was different?" Marinette pushed, kind of surprised, forgetting that she was very up close and personal with Chat Noveau. The people in the area, those who were awake and not put to sleep by akumatized dust, probably weren't in a position to see all the true differences in yesterday's fight. Like how Chat was a completely different person.

"Well, that and the tension between Ladybug and Chat Noir. Do you think they had a fight or something? A lover's spat?"

"They are NOT lovers!" Marinette replied fiercely.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell," Alya retorted. "But yesterday, you're right. There was definitely no love there." Marinette shrugged her shoulders, remembering what the fake Chat had told her about fighting and sacrifice and basically that she wasn't a very good superhero, even though she had just done what she was supposed to do – eliminating the threat and fixing the damage. What else was there that she wasn't doing? How she allowed Chat Noir to put himself in danger for her.

"It'll work itself out," Marinette said absently. "You can't really put your life in someone else's hands like they do and stay mad at each other, right?"

"Too true. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Let's brainstorm on how we can save the world."

"You got it."

Even though Alya walked a different direction, her words stayed with Marinette all the way home, through the warm richness of the bakery, and up to her room where Tikki whisked out of her bag to do somersaults in the air, enjoying the freedom after being cooped up in a purse all day.

"Do you think she was right?" Marinette sulked.

"Who?" Tikki asked, stretching.

"The woman who has Chat's Miraculous."

"You'll have to elaborate. I didn't actually hear what she said to you."

"She said I was sloppy and undisciplined and basically without Chat Noir taking all my punches and the Miraculous charm that fixes everything for me, I'd be the worst superhero in history." Tikki paused in the air, frowning.

"She said that?" She confirmed, coming to sit on Marinette's desk.

"Well, not exactly like that, but she did say I was sloppy and undisciplined."

"An interesting thing to say for someone who has only fought with you once," Tikki mused, her little face pensive.

"I think she might be right, though."

"What, no, Marinette. You're doing just fine; think of all the times you saved the day, when you pulled through when everyone was counting on you. That's the important thing. And of course you wouldn't be a good superhero without your powers – using your powers is what makes you a superhero."

"It's all luck, though, Tikki, not skill. I was watching her fight while I was sorting out my Lucky Charm yesterday, and she's obviously trained for this more than I have."

"That's partly the Miraculous," the kwami assured. "Plagg is different than I am; he's my opposite actually. He grants different powers. The fighting moves are some of them. You have some too, but they're probably too instinctual for you to notice. Haven't you ever watched yourself fight on the Ladyblog? You're amazing!"

"She wasn't fighting like Chat does," Marinette pointed out, letting the compliment slide almost unnoticed. "It was completely different." Marinette paused as she paced around her room, coming to a realization. "I'm going to ask her to teach me if I see her again."

"Teach you what?"

"How to fight like she does, like someone who can't use a Lucky Charm, like someone who doesn't have a way to put everything back together the way it was. It'll make me a better superhero, a better partner for Chat when he comes back."

"Oh, that's what this is really about, isn't it?" Tikki asked. "You're feeling guilty about Chat Noir."

"I didn't notice," Marinette began, but couldn't continue her explanation before her voice choked up. "I do take him for granted. Oh, Tikki, do you think he's ever coming back? What if he –"

"Stop, Marinette," Tikki commanded, folding her arms and shaking her head. "You said that the new Chat mentioned she would only be with you for a while. That means he's going to be ok. He is going to come back."

"But when, Tikki?"

"When he's ready," she answered. "Now why don't you turn on that new album you got for Christmas and we'll start your homework? I'm thinking if you keep worrying like this an akuma is going to come crashing through your skylight." The idea of Hawkmoth sending one of his black butterflies her way was enough to make Marinette smile a bit because it was too ridiculous. She may be upset, but she wasn't that upset. She actually wasn't sure how anyone could be.

BB

Adrien rolled over to his stomach, trying to get comfortable. His school day had gone well, but now he was so tired and his muscles ached. He'd skipped dinner, claiming he'd eat later after he'd made a dent in the catch-up work he had to do from missing the first day of school after break, but he hadn't actually done any of it once he'd shut his door.

He kept thinking about Marinette, how her face had changed earlier when he'd looked at her. How for a few moments it had been Ladybug's face instead of hers, just a flash of a spotted mask across her eyes, so real. He couldn't shake it, even though he'd been warned that he may see hallucinations. It had just been so incredibly vivid. And then even after the mask was gone, the eyes were the same. It made it hard to look at her.

He made his way to his window, leaning against it and looking out on the lights of the Paris winter night. Was she out there somewhere? Ladybug? Did she miss him as much as he missed her? He fidgeted with his hand, where his ring should be. Would he ever see her again? Fight at her side again? What if something happened to her while she was on her own? What if he'd put her in danger? Why hadn't he just listened to Plagg in the first place?

"I'm sorry," he apologized to the night, to his kwami, to his lady who couldn't hear or see him, who had no idea what had happened to him. He pressed his forehead against the cold glass, a shivery trembling washing over him, his heart banging painfully against his ribs. "Not again," he muttered, clenching his teeth against what he knew was happening. "Stop it. Just stop." The panic was back, pulling him under, blacking his vision, stealing his breath. He took a few steps backward before turning and rushing clumsily out of his room, crashing into the wall and using it as a guide to move forward, knowing that the last thing he wanted was to remain on his own during this.

"Father," he called for help as he hit the staircase to the main entryway, not near loud enough to penetrate the heavy doors of the mansion. Fortunately, Nathalie was just coming out of his father's study and saw him clinging desperately to the stair railing.

"Mr. Agreste," she called before flinging the door wide open and racing up the stairs, the heels of her shoes echoing in the empty space. "It's all right, Adrien," she assured him as they met on the landing. She put a cool hand on the back of his neck, but by then Gabriel was there and shooed her away.

"Call Dr. Monroe," he instructed as he bent over his son, but Adrien shook his head. There was no point calling the doctor; physically, there was nothing wrong. He grabbed at his father's wrists, bringing his hands up to his chest, trying to communicate without words what he wanted him to do.

"What, Adrien? What is it?" Gabriel asked helplessly as Adrien pushed himself against him. "What do I do?"

"Tighter," Adrien begged.

His legs gave out on him then, but Gabriel caught him and brought them down to the marble floor together. Adrien clambered into his father's lap, desperate for contact, closing his eyes in relief as Gabriel wrapped him tightly in his arms. He rested his head against Gabriel's chest, listening to his heartbeat, surprised to find it pounding hard in fear.

Gabriel curled one arm around Adrien's torso, his muscles tensed against his ribcage and used his other hand to rub his back in slow circles. "Breathe, son," he instructed, gentler than Adrien could remember since Mom left. "You're going to be fine." But there were tears in his voice.

"I'm sorry," Adrien managed, but Gabriel shushed him immediately. He rocked him in his arms as if Adrien were still very small, and together both of their hearts began to slow down. Adrien continued to rest his head against the expensive cotton of his father's dress shirt. Gabriel smelled of fresh detergent and sandalwood aftershave, comforting scents from a boyhood long gone. His father pressed his face in Adrien's hair, breathing deep his own nostalgia. As the episode passed, Gabriel shifted their position so they could look at each other, still holding tight to Adrien's arms.

"Are you all right?" He asked, but softly.

"Yes," Adrien answered quietly, ashamed now that he realized that he'd made his father kneel on the floor in six hundred euro pants. "I think."

"But what happened?" Gabriel pressed, concerned. "Was it because you went to school today? Maybe you're too tired. It's too soon, as I expected."

"No, no, Father, that's not it," Adrien protested quickly, the idea that he would be trapped in his bedroom again too much to bear. "It's not school. This happened yesterday too before I'd ever gone. It happens more when I'm alone." Gabriel pulled him close again, kissing the top of his head. Adrien felt an urgency in it, something he could only barely grasp, but in that moment he felt how fragile his father truly was. How he was doing his best for Adrien's sake, but he needed his son to be whole and well. He needed the fear of his being damaged beyond repair to ease before it destroyed him.

"When you're alone," Gabriel repeated quietly, and Adrien could hear the guilt in his voice.

"I . . . I think I'm all right now, though," Adrien offered, trying to smile, pulling his bravery on like a sweater. "Just really tired." Gabriel nodded.

"Nathalie?" He called to his assistant who had been standing at their side all this time. Adrien looked over his shoulder at her, just in time to see her wiping her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Sir?" She said, her voice thick.

"Please help Adrien upstairs to rest. I need to retrieve my things." He looked hard at Adrien. "I'll work in your room tonight," he offered. "You won't be alone." Adrien smiled, grateful. Nathalie put her arm around his shoulders, taking his hand to help him from the floor, giving him a reassuring squeeze. She stayed with him as he got ready for bed, but disappeared once Gabriel arrived. And every time Adrien woke in the night, there was the soft glow of a laptop screen near him, his father's face illuminated and calm, the soft ticking of keys like a lullaby in the dark.

BB

"What are we missing, Plagg?" Valerie mused out loud as she scanned over her accumulated data. The kwami of destruction looked at her sardonically, upside down, as he tilted his head back from the cushion he'd dragged to the floor in front of the fireplace.

"Let's see. My bed, my cheese stash, my Chosen," he sighed, truthfully.

"Come on," she snapped, pressing a handkerchief to her eye. "I'm talking about Hawkmoth."

"You do seem to have a narrow focus nowadays," Plagg returned. "But I have no idea."

"Fine." She searched her map of Paris again, trying to see a pattern or connection from where the akuma victims were first seen. She'd gone through the archives of the Ladyblog to find out what she could, then she had searched the areas as Chat Noir to see if there was any sort of clue. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. She knew that Hawkmoth didn't need to see his victims; he could zone in on emotion from great distances. He could send an akuma from practically anywhere in the city.

"You know your week is up in three days?" Plagg reminded her. "Then we are transforming for the last time, sneaking into Adrien's room, and explaining the whole thing."

"Now who has a narrow focus?" She quipped, not looking at him, not wanting to be reminded how much of her week was left. She'd even stopped going to the Agreste mansion to try and find a way in. She tried to convince Plagg to spend more and more time as Chat Noir, to scan Paris from the skyline, to give her hours without pain and with more purpose than she'd had in over a decade. He didn't have much choice in the matter while she was wearing the Miraculous, but she wanted his cooperation not to be forced. She pointed out their small victories; they'd prevented a mugging, saved a family from a fire, talked a man out of jumping off the Eiffel tower, all because she'd been on patrol as Chat. He wasn't as impressed as she thought he should be.

Plagg sighed again as Valerie's head snapped up, looking out her window.

"Come on, Plagg," she coaxed. "Time to get ready."

"Huh?"

"He's just sent out an akuma; I can feel it." Now she had his full attention. He flipped over, slightly worried.

"What do you mean, you feel it?" He asked. "And I'm barely recovered from our search mission this morning, thank you very much."

"I can always feel them. There just isn't anything I can do about it most of the time." Plagg felt a twinge of pity for her. Someone was using the Miraculous meant to be hers, using it and corrupting it. He especially felt sorry for her lost kwami; he was starting to get an understanding of how she must feel, forced to obey a master that was not her Chosen.

"If you can feel when the akumas are created," Plagg suggested. "Couldn't you also feel where the Miraculous is?" It was a long shot, and he knew it, but he thought he'd ask anyway.

"I've tried that," she confessed. "It doesn't work that way. I have no idea where the akuma is, just that there is one now when there wasn't one before, like a cloud moving over the sun. The Miraculous I can't feel at all."

"Too bad," Plagg muttered as the akuma siren started blaring outside.

"Shall we?" Valerie invited, way too happy about it.

"I guess we have to," Plagg gave in.

BB

During the last few days, the class at Dupont high school was transitioning into a new normal when it came to Adrien. As Nino had predicted, his lingering symptoms were too much to keep secret for long. Some of the changes were abrupt and frightening, like the morning when Adrien had jumped from his chair with a shout right in the middle of a lecture, staring at his desk as if it were on fire. While everyone had just stared in shock, Marinette, the girl who blushed and stammered and could barely look at him, had also shot to her feet, grabbed on to his wrist as he made to dash out of the room, taken him carefully and efficiently to the floor with almost ninja-like precision and talked him out of hyperventilation. After that display, a shamed Adrien had been forced to allow Nino to explain, not everything, but enough to initiate the more gradual, less dramatic changes. Like how everyone tactfully ignored it when Marinette or Nino grabbed Adrien during class or took him to the hall without warning. How Kim started taking Adrien's bag with him, just picking it up casually as if he'd always done it, carrying it to classes for him without a word. How Rose started bringing an extra thermos of tea or an orange and leaving it on Adrien's desk. How some of them started to touch him gently as they passed him, at his desk, in the hallway, giving him a kind word of encouragement. How they would run for Marinette if someone found him leaning wearily against a wall or staring at his hand in horror, how it had become quickly obvious that no one brought him back from these episodes better than she did.

Adrien had mixed feelings about all of it. Part of him hated that he needed it, but another part was bemused and grateful that he was being taken care of, so sincerely, by all of them. How no one made fun of him, no one said anything to him at all except to ask him, genuinely, if he were all right. Despite Nino's assurances that no one would hold any of it against him, he was still surprised to discover how true his friends were.

Marinette surprised him the most. Taking care of him had brought out her unshielded personality, plus talents and skills that he would have never guessed she had. She'd moved so quickly after he'd freaked out over the hallucination that he'd destroyed his desk with a cataclysm. It had dissolved into ashes in front of him, and then he saw her as Ladybug again as she calmed him down. That was the most frequent hallucination – Marinette morphing into Ladybug several times throughout any given day. Sometimes he couldn't look at her because of it. Sometimes he indulged in thinking it was really her because he missed the real Ladybug so much.

He'd learned from listening to his classmates that Chat Noir was still around, that his Miraculous was with someone else now. There had even been several akuma attacks since New Year's where Chat Noir had battled without Adrien. He hated that. Hated that someone was working with _his_ lady, with _his_ kwami, hated himself for being the reason behind it. It didn't help hearing Alya talk about the new dynamic that surrounded the heroes this year. They weren't working together the same way. They no longer exchanged fist bumps. Chat Noir would often dismiss Ladybug or tell her what to do. They were clashing. It made Adrien worried and confused.

"I would give anything to know what happened between those two!" Alya sighed dramatically as she clutched her phone, watching as Ladybug attempted to ask Chat Noir a question after the most recent akuma attack, grabbing him by the arm to keep him from leaping off. Adrien caught Marinette wincing as Chat's voice was heard clearly over the recording.

"You're slowing me down," Chat had said, not maliciously but definitely firm. "Do your charm and stay out of my way."

"Let it go, Alya," Marinette said wearily, making it obvious that this was not the first time they'd discussed this. "I'm sure it's really personal. Besides, Paris is safe. They're still working together." Adrien continued to look at her, seeing her as Marinette for the moment thankfully, but he also saw hurt in her face, like this was really bothering her.

"He's working without her a lot too, though," Alya pointed out, swiping through some of the more minor news stories of the past week. "See? Interrupted mugging, looks like he did a fire rescue on his own, and there's this one here about how he prevented a suicide. Where was Ladybug during all that?"

"How should I know?" Marinette said, rather harshly. Adrien grabbed her hand, squeezing it slightly and standing up. Her demeanor twisted instantaneously at the contact and she obediently got to her feet as well. Conversation paused in their circle as several pairs of eyes turned toward them, but they moved on quickly as Adrien began pulling Marinette away.

"Adrien, what's up? You doing okay?" Marinette asked as they walked from the group. He pulled her into the empty locker room, sitting her down on the bench between rows. She put her hand on his face as he sat down next to her, trying to get him to look her in the eye. "Can you breathe all right?"

"I'm fine," he replied, taking her hand away from his cheek but keeping it in his. Contact between them had become so frequent this week that it now felt weird not to touch her when they were together. "I'm worried about you; that's why I took you away."

"Me?" She laughed. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"It just seemed . . . you looked like you were really upset about what Alya was saying. It looked like it might turn into an argument. I don't want that to happen between you two. Not over something like this."

"I guess I did go a little overboard, didn't I?" Marinette answered, her smile soft but still sad. "I'll apologize to Alya."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Adrien offered, wishing to give her something in return for all the help she'd been giving him.

"What do you think of Ladybug, Adrien?" Marinette asked suddenly, as if she weren't sure she should be asking. "You've met her before, right?"

"Yeah, a few times," Adrien said, feeling himself blush. "She's awesome."

"You don't think that she's disorganized?"

"Where is this coming from, Marinette?" Adrien asked, defensive. Why would she even say that? She just shrugged, and this time she was the one who looked away first.

"No," Adrien answered. "I don't think that. I think she's quick and clever. She has really good ideas, and I don't know what Chat Noir is trying to prove talking to her like that."

"That's not Chat Noir," Marinette said quickly and bitterly before biting her lip. Adrien felt his heart open up in a rush, not like panic this time; it was a pleasant sort of release. It was the first time someone had said anything like that. Someone had finally noticed, even though to him it seemed so painfully obvious.

"You. . . you don't think so?" Adrien asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Well, I mean obviously it's still Chat Noir," Marinette backtracked. "But I miss who he used to be." Her voice was small again, and Adrien put his arm around her shoulders. He was really confused about what was going on here, but he liked that it was him comforting her for a change.

"I miss him too," he said, never meaning anything more.

Nino found them then, coming to see if Marinette needed any help with Adrien. If he was surprised to find them sitting the way they were, he kept it to himself, but he did break the moment. For the first time in a long time, Adrien wasn't quite happy to see him.

He spent his study hall actually researching Chat Noir, something he'd been avoiding doing because it seemed that whenever he thought about his missing Miraculous it would trigger his guilt over losing it which would trigger the anxiety. They were undoubtedly linked, but hearing Chat talk to Ladybug that way made this more important. If someone else were using his Miraculous like that, he needed to talk to them. Even if he didn't deserve to be Chat Noir anymore, he couldn't allow the new one to speak to Ladybug that way, to shake her off as if she were nothing.

When school ended, he called his father to request permission to go to the courtyard by the hotel, giving the excuse that he wanted to do something there as an act of service for his extra credit project.

"Will anyone be with you?" Gabriel asked, taking it very seriously now that Adrien not be left on his own for very long.

"Yes, I'm meeting a friend there," Adrien replied, not quite sure he was telling the truth. He was intending on meeting someone there. He wasn't sure about the friend part, or if he could even find her.

"Very well," Gabriel relented. "I'll expect you for dinner at 7:30."

"I wouldn't miss it," Adrien promised, smiling. If there was one good thing that had come out of all of this, it was that Gabriel was actually showing up for dinner. Sometimes, they even talked a little bit, awkwardly, about weird things and Adrien's health, but Adrien cherished it anyway.

His father's permission in place, Adrien set off for the courtyard on foot. It wore him out, but in a good way. He meant to find the woman who helped him Christmas Eve. She was the last one to see him and his kwami together. She'd been with them right before they were separated. If anyone knew anything about where Plagg was now, she was the best place to start.

He did not anticipate how difficult it would be to find her apartment, even though he'd been there before. "Give yourself a break," he told himself as he stared at all the identical doors. It wasn't like he'd been able to focus very well that night. He stood in the courtyard where the Christmas tree had been, noting that both the tree and the kiosk he'd destroyed were gone now. If he remembered correctly, he'd been right here when she'd found him. He got down on his knees, trying to recreate that moment. He'd been here, this spot, and she'd called to him from . . . his right? He looked that way, trying to place her. She'd come to help him up; they'd walked. Which way had they walked? He took some paces toward the edge of the yard, second guessed himself, and returned to his original position. If he'd been here, and she'd been there, and then they got up together.

He was so focused on figuring it out that he didn't hear anyone walking towards him. But he did jump when he felt arms clasping him tight from behind.

"Is this right?" Said a familiar voice in his ear. "This is what she does to help you, right?" He smiled as he relaxed, patting the hands where they joined together at his chest. Chloe.

"That's it," he said, then pulled Chloe off him so he could stand up and look at her. He decided not to tell her that he actually hadn't needed any help. How was she supposed to know when he'd been kneeling in the snow like that? "Thanks, Chloe. How'd you know I was out here?"

"I saw you from my window," Chloe said, pointing to the top floor of the hotel. "What are you doing out here? It's freezing."

"Looking for someone," he responded, still staring around him as if the right address would suddenly jump out at him. Chloe raised an eyebrow, putting her hand on her hip.

"Uh, I don't think they're coming. Why don't you come inside and have a hot chocolate with me?"

Adrien's phone rang before he could tell her thanks but no thanks. His father was calling him. "Father, hello," he greeted, slightly apprehensive, hoping Gabriel hadn't changed his mind about his after-school activities.

"Adrien, did your friend arrive?" Adrien turned the phone so his dad could see Chloe.

"She did," he said. "We're headed into the hotel for a bit. She's helping me."

"Good," Gabriel said, relieved. "I'll check in on you later."

"Thanks . . Dad," he said, hanging up as Chloe attached herself to his arm in delight and started gently dragging him toward the hotel. She sat him at a table in the main lobby, snapping her fingers at the staff and ordering two cups of chocolate for them.

"Isn't this nice, Adrikins?" She asked him, blinking at him as she rested her chin in her hands. He wasn't sure what to say to her. Their time together was mostly just pleasant for her, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings either. "Much better than freezing outside."

"It . . is nice, yeah," he responded, genuine about his answer. The hotel was warm; there was soft music in the lobby. He knew the hot chocolate was exquisite, and best of all, he was outside doing normal things. "Hey, Chloe, can I ask you something?"

"Anything you want," Chloe said, brightening. It wasn't often that he asked her for anything.

"You said you saw me from your window, so you've got a good view of the courtyard, right?"

"Mm-hmm," Chloe responded affirmatively.

"I'm looking for a woman who lives closeby. Maybe you've seen her walking and remember where she lives." Chloe was beginning to look doubtful, but Adrien needed to ask her about it regardless. "You'd remember her. She uses a cane and has a scar on her face." Chloe cocked her head to one side, rolling her eyes.

"Ugh, you mean that creepy old woman who works in the laundry," she said, disgusted.

"Well, she's not that old," Adrien retorted, put off guard by Chloe's description of her. "Wait, she works here?"

"Since forever," Chloe said. "Why do you want to see her?"

"She, um, did something nice for me once. I wanted to visit her again as part of Miss Bustier's extra-credit assignment. Do you think she's here right now?"

"Probably. She's always here."

"Where? Can you take me to her?" He asked excitedly, halfway out of his seat already before he even knew where he was going.

"Right now?" Chloe pouted. "But look, our hot chocolate just got here. Couldn't I take you after?"

Adrien deliberated, but in the end, he sat down again. Chloe had been extra sweet today, and he didn't spend as much time with her as he used to do back when she'd been his only friend. She smiled at him, joyful, and slid his cup over.

BB

Valerie's thoughts were far away as she folded towels in the laundry room of Le Grand Paris hotel surrounded by the warm humidity and white noise coming from the industrial machines. Plagg hated it in here, said it was too loud and that the smell of bleach gave him a headache, so she left him cozied in her locker in the staff break room down the hall while she worked. To be honest, they both could use the break from each other.

She was thinking of the butterfly she'd missed in the last akuma attack. She'd wanted to follow it, see where they went after they were purified. Did they return to Hawkmoth? She would have found out if Ladybug hadn't grabbed her arm and her attention at the end. The butterfly disappeared in those few seconds, a completely lost chance.

There was a momentary wrench of guilt when she thought about Ladybug. The girl had flat out asked for her guidance, for some extra training. She had taken her words to heart and wanted to improve. But Valerie had no time or desire to train another Miraculous holder. The last one had gone so badly. She couldn't be responsible for that again. She'd turned her away, rather coldly. But it was probably for the best.

"Hello?"

Valerie set another finished towel on her stack and hurried as best she could to the door as it started to open. It wasn't often that a guest of the hotel got lost enough to find her down here, but it did happen on occasion. They would be drawn to the sound of the machines and she would try to catch them before they came in.

"Sorry, this is an employees only area," she began, catching the door and holding it still, hiding behind it. She'd been instructed to keep out of sight of the guests as much as possible, not that she needed much incentive. "If you keep down the hall there will be an elevator on the left side. Press the button with the star for the main lobby."

"No, sorry, I'm not lost. I'm looking for a woman named Valerie. Is she . . in there with you?" Valerie hesitated. Who was on the other side of the door who knew her name and knew to look for her here? Slowly, she pulled the door open, peeking out into the hallway, keeping the disfigured side of her face turned away.

"Adrien?" She said his name, shocked to find him here. He brightened as she recognized him, holding up a hand in an awkward greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He turned his gaze to the floor. "Can I come in?"

"Does your father know where you are?" She questioned, still hesitant, completely thrown off by his sudden appearance at her job. She still had several days; she was so close. She was not ready to return his Miraculous to him now. She looked nervously down the hall toward the break room. Could Plagg hear them?

"Sort of?" Adrien answered, but she was already tugging him into the laundry room. He looked around, pulling off his scarf and coat, taking in the carts stocked with neat piles of towels, sheets, and pillow cases, the mountains of wet and soiled items that were waiting their turn in the machines. As he looked around, she studied him. He looked so much better than the last time she'd seen him, but she could tell that he was not completely whole yet. There was weariness in his stance and something else, a lack of confidence, fear, pain. She tugged at the white cotton gloves she wore while she worked before pulling out a chair for her young guest.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better," she told him, sincerely. "Bit of a rough day for you the last time we were together." Instead of taking a seat, Adrien unexpectedly threw his arms around her waist, hugging her tight and almost making her lose her balance. She inhaled sharply but relaxed quickly, hugging him back. "I was so worried," she confessed, glad to feel his life in her arms.

"Thank you so much," he said before letting her go. She indulged herself in smoothing his hair away from his face. "You saved my life."

Her vision blurred with tears then, remembering how she'd almost waited too long. She shook her head, gesturing for him to sit down. "How are you doing?" She asked him, seriously, picking up a towel to fold as they talked. He looked at her, his expression begging her not to make him answer this, that he was tired of it, that he wanted to pretend, even for a while, that this was over. She saw no reason not to go along with the unspoken request. "Never mind," she amended, returning her attention to her task. "It will get better," she promised. He nodded.

"I don't remember much from that night," Adrien moved on, and she could tell that he was trying to figure out how to ask her something. She also knew what it was, and she didn't want to tell him. He was holding tight to his wrist, pressing his thumb into the underside of it.

"I can imagine," she said, stacking the towels neatly in threes.

"Can you tell me?" She paused, thinking over what she was going to say.

"I had to call an ambulance for you," she began.

"I know what happened to me," he interrupted. "I want to know what happened to Plagg."

"Of course," she said. "He's fine. Ladybug brought someone who could help him after you left. His recovery was much faster and easier than yours. But when we learned your condition, we had to make other arrangements for Plagg. Paris needs Chat Noir."

"Do you know who has him now?"

Valerie gestured around her at the basement room they were in, at her uniform. "Do you think the Guardian of the Miraculous would tell me something like that?"

"Oh," Adrien said, disappointed. She kissed the top of his head, feeling the weight of the ring on her finger, under her glove. She could almost hear Plagg shrieking at her even though he was down the hall and oblivious to what she was doing right now.

"Besides, you know as well as I do that identities are secret," she continued. "No one can know." She just needed a little more time, and so did Adrien. He wasn't ready to take on being Chat Noir again yet.

"Right," Adrien huffed. "I just wish I could have said good-bye. I thought we made a good team, Plagg and me. Ladybug and me." He kept his head down as he spoke, twisting his hand around his wrist. "I can't believe I screwed up like that and lost them, lost one of the best things I've ever had in my life." Valerie bent down to take his hand off his wrist, folding it into hers and making him look up at her.

"It'll be all right," she promised him. "You didn't do anything wrong. Plagg wasn't taken from you a punishment."

"I want to fix it. Isn't there any way I can make it right? The way it used to be?"

"Everything happens for a reason, Adrien. Maybe this is just a painful road to something amazing." He stared at her, completely uncomforted and unconvinced. "Trust me."

His phone rang, interrupting them. He pulled it from his pocket, checking the screen.

"It's my dad," he said, making Valerie reach over to quickly cover the phone with her damaged hand.

"Don't tell him you're with me," she cautioned before letting go. He looked at her questioningly. "Please." He nodded, his eyes full of doubt.

"Hello," he answered, carefully keeping the screen turned away from her.

"Adrien? Are you all right?" Gabriel's voice, but different. His tone was softer when he spoke to his son.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm okay. Really."

"Where are you? What's that noise?"

"I'm, um, still at the hotel. The service project is going great." Now it was Valerie's turn to look at him with questions. It sounded like she wasn't the only one keeping secrets here.

"Well, it's started to snow. I'm sending your driver to pick you up. I'd like you to come home now."

"Oh. Okay. I'll meet him out front."

"Ten minutes." Gabriel hung up.

"He's worried about you," Valerie noted as Adrien tucked the phone back in his pocket.

"Surprise, surprise," Adrien said, his smile split in skepticism and pleasure. "Why didn't you want me to tell him about you?" Valerie hesitated, debating on several answers she could give. This time she decided on the whole truth.

"Gabriel and I are not on speaking terms. If he knew you were with me, we'd be forbidden to see each other again. If he doesn't know, he can't forbid it and we won't be breaking any rules. You understand?"

"What do you mean, speaking terms? Do you know my father? Why wouldn't he want me with you?"

"It's a long story, Adrien. Longer than ten minutes."

Adrien looked torn. He wanted to obey Gabriel, but he wanted to know more. "Tomorrow?" He begged, and she gave him a sad smile. He looked so much like Emilie. Should she tell him?

"Tomorrow," she promised. He hugged her again, gathering his coat.

"Thanks," he told her again as he shut the door behind him. After he was gone, she planted her hands on her folding table, bowing over it in shame.

 **Author's Note: Yes, I KNOW Marinette gave Adrien a santa hat for Christmas and the blue scarf for his birthday, but I like it better this way.**

 **Thank you for the reviews; they make my day.**


	4. Chapter 4: Seeing

**Chapter Four: Seeing**

It was a strain for Adrien not to incriminate himself at dinner with his father that night. Questions kept coming to his mind and his mouth, so fast and so hard that he couldn't hardly speak at all for fear he might say something that would clue Gabriel in as to who he'd been with all afternoon. His silence did the opposite of helping as Gabriel asked him more and more questions about what he'd been doing and why it seemed to have such a negative effect on him.

"It's a service project," Adrien maintained. "Everyone's doing something to make Paris better."

"And you've decided to work at the hotel?" Gabriel queried, his tone implying strongly his disapproval of such a menial chore.

"It was Chloe's idea," Adrien said, willing to put money on Chloe taking credit if she were asked the right way. "So far, I really like it."

"How do you propose fitting this into your schedule?" Gabriel tried, folding his napkin and then his arms.

"I thought since I can't do fencing right now and modeling is sort of out too that I might have some extra time," Adrien said, not looking directly at his father but seeing him soften as he spoke, the weight of his recovery still heavy in their house.

"Adrien," he started and Adrien could feel the no before it was out of his mouth.

"Could we try it? One day at a time? Just let me go tomorrow and see if it works?" He had to at least go tomorrow to see Valerie, to hear the answers to the questions he absolutely could not ask Gabriel. He felt like it was important that he know. "You can think about it, maybe," he offered as a last-ditch effort to get his way. "Decide in the morning."

"Perhaps," Gabriel gave in slightly. "Just remember the point of you not participating in fencing is to heal. This may not be as physically demanding, but it's not rest either."

"I understand," Adrien said, soberly. "I'll be careful." Gabriel nodded, standing from the table.

"I have some designs to review before tomorrow," he explained. "You're welcome to do your homework in my study."

"Thank you, but I think I'm going to try it in my room tonight," Adrien excused himself. The quiet of his father's study as they worked separately could be comforting or stifling. Tonight, since Adrien was already on edge, he was pretty certain it would be the latter. Reading his literature assignment stretched on his sofa instead of at a desk seemed preferable to him today, and it might convince his father that he was steadily making improvement, which might make him more tolerant of his going to the hotel tomorrow. If he could manage to continue breathing normally all evening to prove it.

"You know where I'll be if you need me," Gabriel offered, squeezing Adrien's shoulder gently as he left the room. Adrien tried not to cringe under the contact. It was part of his new normal to be in pain by this point of the night, the strain of just getting up and moving throughout the day culminating into ache by evening. That was something else Adrien tried to protect his father from knowing. It was easier to hide than other things. Adrien watched him go before standing himself, ready to leave by a different door.

He left his room mostly dark tonight, turning on only the reading lamp by his couch. The snowfall outside was impressive to look at, and he didn't want to spoil it by brightening his room too much. He pulled his copy of _Don Quixote_ from his bag, ready to tackle the next chunk of it that they could possibly be quizzed about tomorrow, but he kept staring out the window at the snow.

"Maybe there won't be any school tomorrow," he said out loud, as if Plagg were still there and could hear him. He pushed his thumb into his wrist, purposefully flipping pages to find his place, reminding himself that his time with Plagg was over. It was small comfort to know that Plagg had been given to another Chosen because of Adrien's physical state instead of his mistake. It didn't make Adrien miss him any less. He looked out the window again, having a hard time focusing on what he was supposed to be doing, his mind cartwheeling between the new Chat Noir, who he still needed to find and talk to, missing the company of his kwami, and wondering about Valerie.

It didn't make any sense. He couldn't figure out any point where Gabriel's and Valerie's world would have crossed. How they could have possibly had enough interaction with each other to get into a feud. His father didn't consider laboring people like Valerie worth the effort of attention most of the time. If they'd actually had a fight, it meant at one point he had treated her as an equal. . . or a rival.

There were other mysteries too, things that he remembered Valerie saying the night she'd saved him. Things that were coming back to him now that he was so focused on her. She'd said that she once had a Miraculous, but it had been taken from her. He leaned his aching head back on the sofa, feeling bad for both of them. He knew how empty that could make someone feel.

An unnatural color and movement outside his window caught his attention, making him rub his face with both hands, preparing himself for the upcoming hallucination or anxiety attack or whatever his weakened mind was going to do to him. Because he was certain that he'd just seen Ladybug leap onto a roof several houses away, and he was equally certain that there was no way it was real. And he couldn't give in to that tonight; he couldn't let his father think that he couldn't handle an evening on his own. He was supposed to be getting better. He'd barely been up here for an hour.

He stared at the window, convincing himself that he was ok, that it was still just snow outside, distorting the street lights, making little vortexes, blanketing Paris in quiet whiteness. He sighed, relaxing, feeling proud of himself for keeping it together without any help. He bent his head over his book, ready to get back to business, when he saw another flash of spotted scarlet against the white roofs. He stood up and hurried to the window, hating how he was setting himself up for disappointment. Nothing now. No sign of her.

"It wasn't real," he rationalized. "She's home, like a sensible person. There is absolutely no reason for her to be swinging around the city right now. Just because I want to see her doesn't make it true." He wished Plagg were here so he could just double check what he thought he saw. He wanted someone to confirm it.

But then she popped back into view and came to a stop across the street and he couldn't take it anymore. He hit the button on his remote control to open the window, letting in the cold and the snow. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the heavy night.

"Ladybug!" He called to her, ready for her to disappear and leave him sheepish and chilled. She didn't. She stood straight, turning to look at him. Maybe she really was there? That thought filled him with a different sort of worry. What was she doing? He lifted his arms, waving wildly at her, glad he was alone so if it turned out that he was just hallucinating, no one would have to know.

She lifted her arm in return, letting loose her yo-yo, which clanked around the railing of his window with the most reassuringly solid sound. If this wasn't real, it was close enough for him. Ladybug jumped from the roof, swinging across the street and then up again. He took several steps backward to give her room. She swooped in, somersaulting once across his floor to tame her momentum before standing strong by his sofa, the yo-yo string snapping tight into her palm.

"Adrien," she greeted, slightly awkward and rushed. He was at a loss. He'd been so sure that she couldn't be real that now that she was actually in his room, he had no idea what to say to her. "You ok?" She asked as he continued to stand and stare at her.

"What are you doing out there?" He demanded instead of answering, gesturing to the storm, realizing all of a sudden that his window was still open and there was a slight dusting of snow blowing over his piano keys. He pushed it closed, waiting for her answer. She had one hand behind her head, a weird "ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies" smile on her face. There was also a puddle growing around her feet, her hair actually dripping. "That's . . . not," he said, coming to stand close to her, automatically taking her by the elbows and looking into her face, forgetting that right now she was seeing him as Adrien and Adrien certainly did not take these kinds of liberties with her. He was too surprised and concerned to think much about it. Her eyes opened extremely wide. "You're soaking wet," he scolded.

"It is snowing," she said, carelessly, as he noted that her lips were actually blue.

"Most people enjoy it best from inside." He paused to take a deep breath. "What in the world . .. no, don't answer." He pointed toward his bathroom. "You go in there, take your spots off, take a hot shower, and then you can tell me what you were doing."

"I should probably just get going," she started, sort of reluctantly, headed back toward the window. He grabbed her wrist, halting her, forcing her to turn back and look at where he held on to her, then back to his face. Her eyes were Marinette's now, huge and deep, making him blink, hard. Apparently, this particular vision worked both ways. Marinette turned into Ladybug and Ladybug into Marinette.

"Please don't," he said quietly. "Get warm and dry first." Her face softened, some of her distress showing in the trembling of her lips. It reminded Adrien of himself, of trying to outrun his feelings on Christmas Eve, of how badly that had ended up for him. He wasn't about to let Ladybug do anything close to that. "You don't have to tell me why you're out," he amended his demands. "But please don't go yet."

There was something like recognition that passed over her features. Her arm relaxed in his hand, and he knew that she was going to do as he asked. "There are lots of towels in there," he told her. "You can lock the door. I promise I'll wait right here."

She looked once to the window, wrapping her arms around herself, losing some sort of internal debate. "You sure?"

"I couldn't call myself a gentleman if I let a lady go out on a night light this. Plus, I could use the company?" That settled her. If she couldn't do it for herself, she was willing to stay if she thought it would help him. "Can I get you anything?" He asked, thinking of her kwami. She must have one too, and if hers were anything like his, an offering of food would be most welcome.

"Something sweet, if that's ok," she gave in.

"Of course," he assured, giving her a little push. "I'll get it; you warm up." He didn't actually turn to leave his room until he'd heard the lock slip closed on the bathroom door. He took a step toward the hallway but froze when the lock clicked open again. Was she leaving? He turned back, looking worriedly toward the bathroom, listening as the lock clicked shut, then open, then shut, several times in rapid succession, as if Ladybug were trying to decide how much she was willing to trust him. He'd lost track of where it was, open or shut, when the rush of water started. Either way, it didn't actually matter. There was no way he would open that door, but at least now he was mostly satisfied that he could leave the room.

He hurried down the steps toward the kitchen, his heart beating fast. At first he thought it was panic, but this was much more pleasant. Ladybug was in his room! He glanced over his shoulder to where she was, not looking where he was going, and running directly into Nathalie at the foot of the stairs.

"Adrien!" She yelped, grabbing his shoulders, surprised and immediately apprehensive. "Look at you! You're all flushed. Hang on, I'll get your father." Adrien just caught the sleeve of her blazer as she pivoted away from him.

"No, it's all right," he assured, even though his voice was breathless. "Don't tell him."

She looked unconvinced, but she did turn back to him, putting a hand against his heart. "I know you want his permission for tomorrow, but we can't keep these things from him. Your health is too important - "

"But I'm ok!" Adrien insisted, knowing he was not presenting a very credible picture. Nathalie tilted her head to one side, keeping her steady hands on him. If he weren't in such a hurry, he'd be much more appreciative of this.

"Then what were you doing tearing down the stairs like there's an emergency?" She gave him the opportunity to explain himself. He did his best to calm down, knowing there was no way he could tell her that he was all flustered because there was a superhero in his shower. At least she wasn't intent on going to Gabriel anymore.

"I . . . thought I needed help, but it's under control now. Honest." He pressed her hand against his chest, taking an intentional deep breath to prove that he could. "See?"

She sighed, and he knew she was going to let it go, maybe against her better judgment, but that was fine by him. "Here," she said, releasing him in order to remove a small pill case from her pocket. "You didn't take your pain medication at dinner; I was on my way up to see if you needed it tonight."

"Thanks, I'll take it now," he accepted, holding his hand out for the case. She nodded, content that things were in place as they should be.

"You're sure everything's fine? Is there anything else you need?" Her voice was calm again, somber, the voice of an assistant who didn't feel right if she wasn't actually assisting.

"Actually, Nathalie," he began, putting his empty hand on the back of his neck.

"Go ahead, Adrien," she invited, and he felt himself regret all the times he'd thought she had no feelings.

"Do we have anything sweet?" Her eyes narrowed in confusion a moment as she processed this unusual request.

"Possibly?" She answered. "I can bring something up to you."

"No!" He said quickly. "I mean, can we go look together?"

"All right," she relented, and he followed her to the kitchen. When he was younger, he and his mom would make things together in here. Not all the time. Gabriel preferred to let his staff handle those types of things. But he remembered putting together colorful salads while his mother poached fish. Sometimes, when his father was away, they would eat bread, cheese, and grapes for dinner while sitting on the stainless steel counters. He didn't think he'd come in here once since she'd disappeared.

Nathalie, on the other hand, appeared to know every inch of the kitchen. "We don't normally keep many treats in the house," she said as she peered into the refrigerator. "But I think there were some tarts left over from the luncheon your father held yesterday. . . unless the chef did something with them. No, here they are." She presented a small white box to him with two miniature apple tarts nestled inside.

"That's perfect," he said, taking it from her. "Can I take them back to my room?"

"Of course," she said, sounding uncertain as to why he thought he had to ask for her permission. "Should I check on you later?"

"That's ok, Nathalie, thank you. I'm going to bed really soon." He started backing away from her, intent on heading back upstairs, hoping that he hadn't spent too long down here. Hoping that Ladybug hadn't left yet. She let him go, an interesting expression on her face, some kind of mixture of fondness and failure that might have made Adrien stay and ask her about it if he didn't have other things he was thinking about.

The water had stopped in the shower when he slipped back into his dark room. For a moment he worried that he'd been too slow, but the bathroom door was still closed, giving him hope. He stood in front of it for a minute, wondering how to get the tarts in to her.

"Ladybug?" He called, knocking softly. He heard a soft squeak of surprise inside that sounded so different than his lady that he thought maybe it had come from her kwami. "I have your . . . I brought a tart for you?"

"Oh, thanks," came the painfully casual response. "Can you set it just inside the door?" Adrien smiled, remembering being in this sort of situation before himself with Plagg. He tested the handle, finding that she had left the door unlocked after all. She trusted him. Bending down, closing his eyes for good measure, he set the white box carefully on the tile of the bathroom floor, closing the door quickly as soon as it left his hands. He tried to imagine the scene inside. The kwami was probably adorable, red and spotted, maybe with wings, lifting a tart as large as its head. And Ladybug, drying off, waiting for it to finish so she could transform again.

Adrien made his way back to the sofa, tucking one leg under him and slouching sideways into the cushion. His heart rate was back up, and this time he couldn't tell why. Deep breaths, he told himself, willing himself to be calm and patient. But he still leapt jarringly to his feet when he heard the bathroom door open.

Ladybug stepped daintily into his room, now dry and strong and beautiful. Wow, she was beautiful, and staring at him curiously.

"Adrien, you ok?" She asked, and he realized he was standing completely dumbstruck in her presence. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Are you ok?" He repeated her question, though he did take her advice and returned to his position on the couch, pressing his hand against his heart. It occurred to him that he still hadn't taken the pain medication. "You don't have to tell me what you were doing," he said. "But if you wanted to, I'd love to help if I can." She looked at the window, the snow still falling fast and thick, her face wistful. "Come here?" He invited, gesturing to the couch.

For a second, she looked sort of stunned, but in the end she joined him. She smelled like his soap and somehow the scent of the winter night still clung to her, wild and sharp.

"I was looking for Chat Nov . . Noir," she confessed, confusing Adrien.

"What would he be doing out on a night like this?" He asked her, knowing that it would take quite a bit of convincing to get Plagg to agree to a transformation in this weather unless there was something pretty serious going on.

"I don't know, saving someone? But I'm tired of her leaving me out like this. We are supposed to work together, and I thought I'd do something about it. If she's going to patrol every night, then so am I." Her voice was incensed as she spoke in a rush, like she'd been brooding over this for a while.

"She?" Adrien checked, and Ladybug clapped her hand over her mouth, closing her (Marinette's) eyes, all the electricity of her passion fizzled out very suddenly.

"Can you keep a secret?" She asked him softly, looking at his book that he'd dropped on the floor.

"All of them," he promised, intent, scooting closer to her.

"Chat Noir is missing," she said, sounding broken about it. "The last time I saw him, it was Christmas Eve, the night the whole city was out looking for you. He said he'd made a mistake, but he couldn't tell me about it. I went to get him some help, and I haven't seen him since."

"But you were just with Chat Noir," Adrien prodded, feeling hideously guilty. I'm right here, my lady, right in front of you. It sounded like she actually might miss him.

"That's not _my_ Chat," Ladybug said, still sorrowful. Adrien thought his heart would break listening to her. "Whatever happened to him, it was bad enough that he had to give up his superpowers to someone else. She's a good hero, but we're not the best team."

"I think I've seen that," Adrien confirmed, rubbing his shoulder, thinking of the video Alya had shown them earlier. The one where everyone could see the differences in how Ladybug and Chat Noir behaved, but no one had seen the incredible differences in who Chat Noir was. Not even he had seen them all, it seemed. The power of the Miraculous disguise was truly something. "She doesn't listen to you."

"I don't need her to listen to me; I need her to train me," Ladybug said fiercely. "But she won't do that either."

"Train you?" Adrien asked. "How?"

"She's an excellent fighter; she's . . had more experience, I guess. I'm actually sort of new to this protecting Paris thing. There is one thing in particular I wish she would help me improve."

"What?"

"I need her to help me not rely on Chat so much."

"But why?" Adrien didn't know what to think about this. Relying on him should be what she did the _most_. Except he couldn't be there for her right now; he hadn't been there for her for weeks already, and from what Valerie had told him that afternoon, she may never have him there to support her again. "Chat Noir is your partner," he said emphatically. "You should trust her completely."

"I do," she affirmed. "Or I did. That's not the problem. Before, when I would fight with Chat Noir, there were so many times he put himself in harm's way, too many times he saved me by sacrificing himself. I used to think that I was good at being a superhero, but really, it was because Chat was buying me time or following my lead. This Chat . . . doesn't do that. She does her own thing. It's making things harder. Maybe if I were better, we wouldn't struggle so much."

Before this conversation, Adrien had been working with himself on letting go of being a superhero, of cutting the strings that held him to that work, of reconciling himself to a future where he wasn't Chat Noir. Hearing her talk like this shut all that down. Whoever held his Miraculous had not done the job right, had probably committed the worst sin possible. She had planted a seed of self-doubt in Ladybug, and Adrien was not going to allow it.

"He doesn't protect you because you're not good enough," Adrien said, shaking his head. She stared at him, confused.

"He does what he does because he believes in you," Adrien assured, choosing his words carefully, knowing he would sound like he cared too much, but he knew she needed to hear it anyway. "You're the one Paris counts on, Ladybug. You're the one everyone looks to for hope and help. You make the akumas safe and restore the peace. Chat Noir doesn't do any of that. But the one thing he can do, better than anyone, is keep you safe so you can keep Paris safe. It's an honor to protect the one who protects us all, and if she doesn't understand that, then she doesn't deserve the Miraculous."

Her mouth was open now as she stared at him, tears in her eyes. He took her gloved hands into his own, rubbing his thumbs along her knuckles.

"You don't need to change," he told her. "She does." He lifted a hand just in time to catch her first tear on his finger, and he remembered the first time they'd fought together, how scared she had been of messing it up, how far she had come from that day and how close she was to returning there now.

"You sound like him," she said, trying to smile. "The real Chat Noir. You know, he used to drive me crazy, but we were a great team."

"I'm sure he misses you." If only she knew how close she was. If only he could just tell her. He winced as little currents of pain zipped up his hands and down his back. Right. The medication was still in his pocket. He should have taken it hours ago. "Do you think . . .he'll come back?"

"Adrien, are you all right?" Ladybug asked, noticing the change in him.

"Do you think he'll come back?" He asked again, ignoring the question.

"I don't know," she confessed, looking at him curiously. "Part of me says yes, he'll be there for the next battle, dropping down from the sky like he was never gone in the first place and this will all be a bad dream." He pressed his hand on his chest, wanting more than anything to give that to her. "But then the alarm goes out, and I get to the scene and she's already there and that part of me loses a little bit of hope."

"Even if he can't fight with you," Adrien promised. "I'll always be here, Ladybug." She closed her eyes, smiling the way Marinette had earlier today, as if she were pleased with his effort but she doubted the truth he was giving her.

"You're breathing different," Ladybug noticed in the silence that followed. "Like you're in pain."

"It's nothing," Adrien lied. "What about you?" He insisted, trying to pretend like his muscles weren't starting to cramp. He didn't want her to leave, but he also didn't want her to see him fall apart. If she stayed much longer, he was going to have to explain. "You're going straight home now, right?"

"I suppose I can let Chat Noveau patrol alone if that's what she wants," Ladybug agreed. "But it is a secret, ok? So far no one knows that it's not the same person."

"I'll never tell." She nodded, satisfied, and went slowly to his window.

"I don't have to leave if you need me to stay," she offered, looking back at him. He pressed his thumb into his wrist. "Do you need me to stay?"

He almost said yes, but there was a knock on his door that startled them both. Their eyes met, and he nodded for her to leave. The window opened and closed and the last he saw of her was just a scarlet dot in the snow as he curled up on his couch.

"Adrien?" Nathalie's voice and a sliver of light from the hallway entered his room the very next moment. He didn't bother moving. "I thought so," she said softly as she knelt on the floor next to him, picking up his discarded book. "Medicine only works if you actually take it, Adrien."

"I want my life back, Nathalie," he told her, staring past her out the window.

"We all want that. I know it's slower than you wanted, but you are getting better." He allowed her to help him up, put him to bed as if he were five, watched as she drew the covers over him and handed him a glass of water to finally swallow the medicine she'd given him earlier. "Should I ask your father to stay in your room tonight?"

"Please don't. I need him to grant me permission for the hotel tomorrow."

"Why is it so important to you?" She asked, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed. He tried to answer her, but couldn't come up with anything that sounded plausible.

"It just is." She sighed, as if she knew that he was keeping something from her and he'd missed the opportunity to tell her the truth.

"Then I'll stay," she promised, and he was surprised how much he actually wanted her to.

BB

"He's perfect, Tikki. Why is he so perfect?" Marinette gushed as she dried her hair a second time that night in her room.

"Well, probably because love is blind," Tikki giggled, but that was as far as she went in damaging the mood. "But he was very chivalrous tonight, that's for sure."

"I wish we could have stayed a little longer; he looked like he was going into an attack right before I left. But Ladybug isn't supposed to know anything about them, so it got weird. I couldn't help him like when we're at school." 

"Someone was coming, right? He'll be all right; he won't be alone."

"I know, but I want to be there for him. All the time. He said he'd always be there for Ladybug."

"That's very special," Tikki murmured sleepily from Marinette's pillow. Marinette smiled at her.

"But I'd rather not have to go out in a snowstorm again. Could we just stick to seeing him at school? It's better if he falls in love with Marinette instead of Ladybug anyway."

"Do you think that will ever happen?"

"It's already happening, Marinette. You two are always together."

"But that's just because he needs help, Tikki. Once he gets better, he won't need me anymore."

"Once he gets better, you'll be so close, he'll need you even more. Just watch and see. There's a reason you're best at helping him right now. You comfort him most because you're the one he feels at ease with."

"Really?"

"Trust me and go to sleep already!"

She laughed, wanting to believe with Tikki said. Lying down, she thought back to her talk with Adrien, how he'd made her feel better about being Ladybug, how maybe things were going to work out all right after all.

"He's so perfect," she whispered again.

"Marinette!" Tikki whined, and she hid a smile in her blanket.

Her good mood was still in full force the next morning, and she hummed as she got herself ready. Her mother beamed at her, happy to see her happy, as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom!" She greeted cheerfully, kissing her on the cheek.

"Well, my goodness," Sabine chuckled, taking her daughter by the hands. "You're full of sparkle today. Anything special going on?"

"Nope. I just had a . . . beautiful dream."

"That's lovely, dear." Marinette took her place at the counter where her mom had set out a fresh croissant spread with butter and jam. "Well, I have something special going on today."

"Yeah, Mom? What are you doing?"

"I have a delivery to make that will bring me right past your school around lunchtime. What if I were to bring your lunch today instead of you coming home? It's so cold and snowy, I thought it would be a treat."

"That would be fantastic!" Marinette smiled, relieved that she and Tikki would be spared another cold trump through the winter wind. "Would it be too much trouble to bring lunch for more than me?"

"I can probably make it work, so long as you aren't thinking of your entire class."

"No, that would be too much. Just Alya, oh, and probably her boyfriend, Nino, would like to join us too."

"What about Adrien?" Sabine asked as she pulled a quiche from the oven. "He's been coming up a lot in conversation lately. Do you think he'd like to be included?"

"Um," Marinette didn't know. Adrien usually was driven home for lunch, so the snow wouldn't be an issue for him, and she wasn't sure what type of food he liked, and she didn't know if she'd be able to eat in front of him without doing something silly like getting something stuck in her teeth or spilling a drink. "I don't know."

"It's easier to divide recipes into fours than threes," Sabine mentioned, smiling knowingly at her daughter. "I'll bring lunch for four, just in case."

"Thanks, Mom, you're the best."

"I'll text you to come out when I get there. Now you'd better get going; give yourself some extra time so you don't slip." Marinette hugged her mother quickly before hurrying to get her coat.

"Sweet!"Alya exclaimed as she somehow managed to hug Marinette sideways and text her family at the same time to say she was staying at school for lunch today. "Thanks, Marinette, that's so nice of you."

"Thank my mom, it was a complete surprise," Marinette responded. Alya let her go, gesturing toward the door.

"Go spread the good news," she instructed, giving her a little push toward Adrien. Marinette smiled shyly, hesitating a bit. She was getting very good at helping Adrien when he was in trouble, the urgency of his attacks pushed right past her awkwardness, but she still needed to muster up courage if she wanted to just talk to him. "Don't be shy, Marinette," Alya whispered in her ear. "For heaven's sake, you've held the boy in your arms and helped him breathe again. This is absolutely nothing. Besides, he's looking for you, see?"

"How do you know that's what he's doing?"

"Girl! Honestly! He always looks where you are first anytime he comes into a room now. How do you not notice these things when you watch him like a hawk? Now go on." Alya gave one more less-than-subtle shove, moving Marinette from behind Kim and Max and into the walkway between desks, right into Adrien's line of sight. He stiffened a bit as their eyes met across the room, and he did that odd head shaking, blinking double-take that he'd started whenever he saw her for the first time after a separation, as if he needed to recognize her every single time. His attention was momentarily broken as Chloe took his arm and kissed him on the cheek, tugging him carefully to his place before leaving to take her own. Then he paused again to smile gratefully to Nathaniel as he put an encouraging hand on his shoulder on his way to his desk. Marinette turned sideways to allow the artist to slip past her on her way down.

"Good morning, Adrien," she said, glad that she sounded competent today. He stared at her face, hard, like he was waiting for it to come into focus, automatically reaching over for her hand. She wondered why he looked at her that way, sometimes like she was someone else. He did it so often.

"Hello, Marinette," he returned her greeting, and she took a minute to assess him. He looked tired today, like he hadn't slept well. She wondered what had happened to him after she'd left last night. Maybe she shouldn't have.

"M-my mom is coming to the school today," she started, looking at their hands, hoping she wasn't too red in the face. "She's bringing lunch, and there'll be enough for you to eat with us if you want. Alya and Nino are staying too."

"Thank you; I'd love to join you." She nodded, wordlessly, not trusting herself to talk anymore now that she was full of warm and happy. She did it! Without sounding like an idiot! She took a step backward to go to her desk, but he kept tight hold of her hand, stretching around as she moved, and not letting go until he'd seated her in her spot behind him. He gave her a soft look before turning around, and Alya gave her a thumbs up and a wink.

And then there was nothing but windmills and algebra, balancing chemical equations and a rather impressive flyer from Rose and Juleka announcing a sing-along under the bleachers of the stadium every Sunday night from now until spring. "Because what could be more positive and upbeat than singing together with your friends?" Rose advertised while Juleka looked on dotingly. "It'll be hard for Hawkmoth to find someone sad in a group like that!"

"For sure," Marinette encouraged, tucking the flyer safely into her bag.

Right on time, as the students were buttoning into their coats for lunch break, Marinette received a text from her mother to meet her outside.

"Find us a good spot, boys," said Alya brightly as she escorted Marinette out the door. But just as they ran into Sabine at the car, the akuma alert sounded from city hall. Marinette drooped a little; what did Hawkmoth have against her having lunch? Sabine handed over two heavy bags to Marinette, her face worried.

"You take that and take cover, dears," she instructed. Alya was already on her phone, pulling up what was going on this time.

"Come with us, Mom," Marinette begged, not wanting to send her mom away with the chance that something could happen to her between here and home.

"It's cats," Alya was saying, her attention pinned. "There's a man turning people into cats."

"Well that's . . . new," Marinette said, wondering what sort of negative emotion formula had conjured up this scenario. And how long it would take her to put Paris back to normal this time.

Two tortoiseshell kittens dashed between Marinette's feet, and they all turned as one to see Paris' newest threat, right on top of them. He was a balding man, his remaining hair slicked back and up to sort of resemble ears now that he'd been akumatized. He wore a cat-shaped scarf draped around his neck. Was it a scarf? Maybe it was an actual cat. Hordes of felines ran ahead and around him. He wore bands around each arm, like collars, and he whipped them off, tossing them around the heads of those running away from him in a rapid and precise manner. Those he ringed with a collar transformed into cats, joining the clowder already around him.

Marinette dropped the bags she was holding, ready to grab her mother and her friend and duck into her family's car. But this villain had also been granted cat-like swiftness. He spotted them and had thrown three collars before she could even shout out a warning. Sabine pushed her daughter into the snow right before she and Alya were transformed. Marinette quickly crawled behind the car, avoiding the villain as he moved past them. The brown and ginger tabby that was Alya and a white cat with black markings that was Sabine started to follow after the parade, but Marinette grabbed them before they could get away from her. She didn't want to lose them.

"Mom, Alya," she sniffed, picking them both up and tucking them into the car, closing them inside. "Stay safe. I'm going to fix this."

She did a quick look around, but she was alone and when she crouched beside the car, she was also out of sight of her new cats, even though they likely wouldn't remember anything about this afternoon after it was over. "Let's go, Marinette," Tikki encouraged from the purse at her side.

"Right," she agreed. "Spots on!"

Ladybug stepped out from behind the car right as Nino and Adrien rushed outside.

"Ladybug!" Adrien called, his face worried and longing.

"Where's Alya and Marinette?" Nino exclaimed.

"No time," she told them, wishing that weren't true. They were supposed to have lunch together! "Alya and . . . Marinette are in the car here. Take care of them for me?"

"You got it," Nino promised while Adrien continued to stare at her in pained desperation. She was almost worried about him, but she really didn't have time. She would have to trust Nino to look after him. She had to stop the cat man so she could get her mom and best friend back. Waving to her friends, she whipped her yo-yo out, following the cries of the cats as they rampaged through the streets of Paris.

BB

"Wow, Alya, you are adorable," Nino complimented as he pulled her into his arms. She gave him a slightly offended look, but didn't put up any fight when he tucked her into his bag. Adrien couldn't help but smile. If you were going to get transformed by a supervillain, there were way worse things to be. . . even if he did say so himself. He looked into the car, seeing the black and white cat that must be Marinette huddled in the driver's seat, sort of trembling.

"Aww, Marinette, it's ok," he comforted, holding out his hand to her. "You won't be a cat very long; I'm sure Ladybug will change everyone back soon. Come here."

But when he reached for her, she sprinted outside right under his arm, taking off after the villain in a streak of fur. "Wait!" He yelled after her. Why had she run away like that?

"Marinette!" Nino also called, but she was long gone down the street. Adrien automatically started after her until he felt Nino grab his coat. "Dude, what are you doing?"

"I'm supposed to take care of her," he said simply, starting to move again. "I can't just let her go. She doesn't even know how to be a cat; what if something happens to her?"

"Adrien, she'll be fine. I can't say the same for you if you go after her. You want to end up as a cat too?" Adrien almost laughed at that. He'd give almost anything to be Chat right now.

"I'll take my chances. You might as well come with me. Alya would never forgive you if you didn't get some pictures at least." He heard an affirmative yowl from Nino's bag. "See?"

"Ugh, fine, but for the record, I am doing this under protest. And because one of us should have some common sense."

"Noted. Let's go."

They followed as fast as they could, but Adrien wasn't in any kind of shape to go sprinting through the snow. "Adrien," Nino cautioned, watching him struggle. "Slow down. You're going to hurt yourself."

"No, look. There they are." He pointed ahead to a carpet of cats and three distinct figures flashing in and out of movement around them. He'd find Marinette if he could, but mostly he was here to talk to Chat and see if there was anything he could do to help Ladybug even though he was out of costume and had absolutely zero powers. He was still Chat on the inside, after all. Once the akuma was defeated, Marinette would be fine. But first he watched what was going on from the corner of a building, bent over, panting hard. Nino put his hand on his back protectively.

"This is probably as close as we should get," Nino said again, curling his fingers around Adrien's coat as if he expected him to dash out into the middle of the fight. The akuma victim was actively after Chat Noveau, trying to put a collar around her head to add her to his collection, but she was knocking his attempts aside with efficient and impatient swipes of her baton. Both Ladybug and Chat Noveau were being hampered by the cats, who kept leaping on them, trying to hold them down or still their attacks.

"Come here, pretty kitty," the man was calling to Chat. "You can join my other lovelies."

Adrien studied the new Chat, amazed and disturbed at her style up close. She was fierce and quick, not in the least bit playful. He watched as she pulled a cat from her shoulder and tossed it rather roughly into the sea of whiskers around her, leaping to a street lamp as more tried to claw their way up her leg.

"Easy, Chat!" Ladybug yelled from her own pile of multi-colored fur. "These are innocent people, not enemies!" But she either didn't hear or didn't care, her attention was on the akuma victim.

"What are you doing, Hawkmoth?" She yelled at him. "This is how you use your power? You're a coward, and you will fail every time. If you truly wanted the Miraculous, you would stop hiding and come get them yourself."

"I'm more than enough for the likes of you," the cat man retorted. Chat looked on him in revolted pity as she curled her hand into a fist.

"Cataclysm," she yelled, and for a painful second Adrien worried that she meant to use it on something alive. But she jumped into the middle of the cats, slamming her palm down into the pavement. The cement turned to ashes, caving into the subway system beneath and dropping the majority of the cats into the underground, leaving the battle site free of felines, Chat jumping neatly from the giant hole she'd just put into the street.

Now unrestricted, Chat took up her baton and rushed forward, her expression dark and terrible behind her mask. There was hate there and rage and something dangerous in her attack. He didn't know where it came from, who had taught it to her, or what its name was, but Adrien could tell that it was meant to be a final blow. He darted away from the protection of the building before Nino could stop him. She was about to cross a line, and he could not let her do that while she carried his powers.

Ladybug must have seen it too because instead of joining her partner in retrieving the akuma, she jumped between them, using her yo-yo to thwart Chat's attack, wrenching the baton to the side and tripping Chat up while doing so. The cat man held both arms in front of his face, cringing from the superheroes bearing down on him.

"Stop! Chat, don't!" Ladybug demanded, her yo-yo spinning fast in a defensive circle in front of her. "What are you doing? He's just a man. We need to save him, not hurt him!"

By this time, the cat man had realized that the threat to his life was over and Ladybug currently had her back to him as she faced off with her partner. Adrien did his best to sprint, watching as the akuma victim took a band off his arm, lifting it up to slip over Ladybug's head.

"Watch out, Ladybug!" He yelled at her, turning her attention from Chat to him. He threw himself at her, pushing her out of the way, feeling the collar drape over his own neck and suddenly he was looking up from the ground, a cat's view. His muscles tensed up, his senses immediately growling at him to attack the thing in red that stood in front of him. To stop her, hold her still. He heard himself hiss as she twisted around, crouching.

"Adrien," she said, her voice sad, and he remembered that was his name. That the girl in red was the one he loved, and that he'd been coming to help her.

"Enough of this," said Chat Noveau, spinning her baton easily in her hands, putting it into position for another attack. Adrien looked over at the man who had turned him into a cat, his new shape giving him new perspective. He could feel the energy around the scarf the man wore and knew that this is where the akuma had hidden itself.

Quick as he could, he jumped at the man, sinking his teeth into the scarf and tearing it away from his neck. The villain made a clumsy dive after him, but he wasn't quick enough, and Adrien darted away from him, dragging the scarf behind him over to Ladybug while Chat Noveau blocked the akuma victim from making any attempt at stopping him.

"Good kitty," Ladybug complimented, taking the scarf from him and shredding it in two. The akuma popped out, up, and right into Ladybug's glowing yo-yo.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma," Ladybug told it gently. "Time to de-evilize."

The butterfly, white and pure again, was set free, and Chat Noveau took after it without a word. Adrien dashed after her, still a cat, but remembering enough that he knew he had to talk to her. Now that he'd seen her up close, his mind was made up. He couldn't let anyone be Ladybug's partner but him. He wanted his Miraculous back.

"Adrien!" Ladybug called after him, but there was no time. The butterfly and Chat were moving away too quickly. This was his chance; he couldn't lose them now. But he only had another moment before Ladybug used her Miraculous Charm – the magic that would restore the concrete destroyed by Chat's cataclysm, erase the victim's memory of what he had done, and slow Adrien down by restoring him to his proper weakened human form.

She did not take her time about it either. Adrien tripped as he was transformed back to normal, sliding face first into a snowbank. He pushed himself up, aching everywhere, and saw just a flash of Chat Noveau's tail as she disappeared over a rooftop, chasing the butterfly. He took a couple shaky steps after her anyway before falling to his hands and knees, gasping for breath.

"Wait," he said uselessly, knowing she was long gone. He stared after her, wondering what she was doing. Wondering who she was. Why had she been given his Miraculous? Someone so intense and merciless? How could she have been next in line?

"There you are!" He lifted his head wearily as Ladybug crouched in front of him, realizing he was still on his knees in the snow, that his body felt empty and heavy at the same time, as if it weren't actually his. "Are you hurt? Your friends are worried about you."

"Ladybug? No, I'm . . . " He was going to say fine, but it was such a lie that there was no point even completing the sentence. She put a hand on his shoulder, bending to catch his eyes.

"Thanks for saving me back there. You're pretty good at being a cat." She smiled at him, trying to be playful, trying to read him. "Though next time, maybe stay a little farther out of danger, ok?"

"I promised you I'd be there for you. I meant it." Ladybug's smile faded, revealing the same vulnerable, concerned expression she'd worn last night.

"Not during a battle," she said, firmly. "I've already lost a partner who did that. I can't lose you too."

"I'm going to find him for you," Adrien said, convinced that somehow, he had to get the ring again.

"Come with me," Ladybug invited. "I'll take you back to school." He nodded, wishing again that he could just tell her, knowing she didn't think he could do what he'd just promised. And why should she believe him? He could hardly stand up right now. She held him tightly as she swung them on her yo-yo back where he'd started that morning. They came to a stop right next to Nino and Alya by the front doors.

"Thanks, Ladybug," Alya said as Nino took her place next to Adrien, putting a steadying hand on his arm. "Is there anything you'd like to tell your fans on the Ladyblog?"

"Where's Marinette?" Adrien asked immediately, seeing that their foursome was incomplete, interrupting the potential interview.

"Haven't seen her," Alya answered. "She was here with me and her mom when we got attacked. I thought she was turned into a cat too?"

"She's not here?" Adrien asked, concerned. The last he'd seen of her, she'd been a black and white streak running away from him. How long had she been missing? Had Chat Noveau hurt her when she sent all the cats crashing into the subway? Had that cat actually been her? He'd taken Ladybug's word for it, but he hadn't actually seen it happen.

Adrien stared at Ladybug, at her eyes. Marinette's eyes. At the one hallucination that got worse instead of better.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon," Ladybug said casually. Adrien continued to stare at her. Why wasn't she taking this more seriously? When she noticed his expression, she put her hands out in front of her, smiling reassuringly. "But . . . I can go check around for her. Thanks again for your help, Adrien. Bug out!"

"Wait!" Adrien said, catching her hand before she left. "I'll go with you."

"What? No. You've done enough for one day," Ladybug quailed.

"But –"

"Don't worry," Ladybug calmed. "Stay here. I will bring her back. Promise." Reluctantly, he let her go, unconvinced and suddenly confused. He knew enough about having a secret identity to start to wonder about hers.

"Adrien, you all right?" Nino asked him as he watched Ladybug flip out of sight. "You gave me a heart attack." He looked at his friend questioningly. "You ran right into the fight, man. And then you ran after Chat Noir and disappeared?"

"Sorry," he muttered, not focusing. There was too much in his head right now. Chat Noir, Ladybug, Marinette. "Can you call Marinette?"

"I've been trying," Alya said, showing him her call history. "She does this, though."

"Let's get you inside," Nino said, guiding Adrien toward the school entrance. "You look like you're going to fall down."

"What do you mean, she does this?" Adrien asked, resisting his friend. This was a new perspective for him, viewing an attack start to finish without transforming.

"She just disappears and doesn't answer her phone for a while. Today I think she left it in the school, though.

"Let's go look for her."

"Calm down, man," Nino said. "If anyone goes looking for her, it won't be you. You've already been running around too much as it is."

"She'll turn up," Alya comforted. "She always does after all the commotion is over." This knowledge didn't do anything to help Adrien. After Ladybug, Marinette had become the person he thought about the most. It had been bothering him lately, now that he was getting to know her better, how his feelings for them both were twisting around each other the same way. He didn't understand how he could be so true to Ladybug and still end up feeling the way he did about Marinette. Today made him wonder if his feelings were the same because he loved both identities of the same girl.

"Adrien," Nino said in his ear. "Come with me. You're going to need to sit down. You're breathing too fast, man. Marinette's going to be fine. Really."

"Wow, guys, I ended up in the metro!"

"And there she is," Alya smirked.

Marinette came running and red-faced to where they still stood in front of the school. She pulled to a stop and braced her hands on her knees, panting as if she really had run all the way from the subway station.

"I had to . . . Wah! Adrien, what's wrong?" Without waiting for her to finish, Adrien had grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, clinging to her fiercely, steadying his heart with hers. "Hey, it's ok." He pulled her tighter, trying to calm down. She put her hand at the back of his head, bringing them gently to the ground. "Take your time." He pushed closer to her, wondering how he could possibly confirm what he was thinking. Could she be Ladybug? This clumsy, wonderful girl?

"Deep breaths, Adrien, if you can," she was saying to him, her voice calm and steady, Ladybug's voice. He did as he was told, taking in her smell of warm yeast and sugared fruit, scents she carried from the bakery. But today there was something more to her. "Adrien, are you crying? It's really ok now." Today she smelled like the sharp winter wind and his soap.

BB

The Miraculous blinked alarmingly and forced Valerie to a stop with a snarl of frustration. The butterfly continued without her, but unless she wanted to be trapped on a roof when she transformed in a few seconds, she needed to abandon her chase and get down on the ground. She slipped into an alley, tucking herself between two dumpsters, just as Plagg dropped her disguise. He fell into her hands, and she fell hard to one side as her leg gave out on her, landing in a tattered heap. She put one hand immediately to her eye as it began dripping blood. If only she'd had a few more moments. It was always this way. Always just a little bit out of reach.

"Valerie!" Plagg squawked as she thought quickly how she was going to explain herself. This was not how they usually handled transformations. Valerie was supposed to be at her home, where she'd left her cane, where she could slip off away from Plagg almost immediately to handle these disturbing side effects in secret. What had been a few drops of blood the first time she'd been Chat Noir had turned into something more serious. Now her eye bled freely, sometimes for minutes and sometimes it seeped for hours. Her other injuries worsened too, as if she were re-opening them every time she transformed. She'd hidden it from Plagg so far, but today's akuma had struck when they were already at the end of their two-hour search mission, and Valerie had followed the butterfly too long, leaving them stranded. "What have you done?" Plagg demanded.

"What we had to do," Valerie told him, trying to be dismissive about how she was sitting in an alley getting blood all over her sleeve, with no cane and no coat. "There was an akuma."

"Your eye," he continued. "What happened to it? Didn't Ladybug perform the Miraculous charm?"

"She did," Valerie grunted as she staggered to her feet, using the dumpster as a temporary crutch, then using the building wall as she made her way out of the alley.

"She did?" Plagg sounded incredulous, confused. "Then this . . . this is from transforming! Valerie, you said you were fine."

"It _is_ fine. It'll stop in a minute. But you're right; we really need to keep to that two-hour mark."

"Or less," Plagg said, sounding as if he were about to suggest that they not transform anymore at all, a notion she was not going to entertain. "What happened, Valerie? You must have needed a cataclysm or we'd be somewhere more comfortable right now."

"I did use it," she confessed, briefly describing the akuma attack, mostly to distract him from trying to talk her out of future transformations. She held him up to her shoulder so he could hide under her hair as they reached the sidewalk. She was enough of a sight all by herself without someone noticing him too. She left out some of the details, like Adrien being there, like how she had gone too far in her attack, her frustration at Hawkmoth, her impatience at the slow progress of her search, had brought out a merciless aggression in her, more than she had ever shown. She couldn't let Plagg's darkness take over her that way; she needed to be in control if she wanted to keep doing this. If she wanted to find Hawkmoth.

"Valerie, I don't think we should keep doing this," Plagg said when she was finished. She watched a mother pull her son away, keeping their distance as she limped past them. She covered her scar with her arm, automatically tilting her head, but she wanted to bare her teeth. "If this is what being Chat Noir is doing to you, then we can't transform anymore."

"I just have to pay closer attention to the time, Plagg. It'll be fine."

"It's not just that. There's a reason I didn't choose you, Valerie. There are very few people who can handle my powers. You are amazingly strong; you've done well, but if we keep going, I'm worried what I could do to you . . not just your eye or your leg, but you, as a person."

"We don't have a choice right now, Plagg. If I don't do this, who will?"

"But do you remember who you're doing it for?" Plagg asked her.

"Of course, I do," Valerie dismissed, panting as she struggled toward her apartment, trying to ignore the stares she was receiving from everyone who saw her. The looks of revulsion, of fear.

"Valerie," Plagg pleaded, but she held up her hand to silence him.

"We'll talk about it later," she said. "I'm trying to walk."

She was also trying to think, to sort out this whole afternoon. In her heart, she knew Plagg did have reason to worry. She'd almost cost Ladybug the fight today. A pathetic mentally disturbed man with too many cats had almost taken down the most powerful Miraculous holder because she had to divide her attention. What had Valerie been planning to do? That man was Hawkmoth's puppet, not Hawkmoth himself. Ladybug was right; he was a victim. If Adrien hadn't been there. . .

She swallowed a sob, staggering to a stop and leaning against a light post to catch her breath. Adrien had been there, sprinting for his lady, trying to save her from a mistake Valerie had made, not caring that he was just a boy with no powers, not pausing to think for one second what might happen to him, still ready to do whatever he had to in order to keep her safe.

He was ready to take back his Miraculous. She knew it. But now that she'd been freed from her empty life, now that she'd had that power back, borrowed or not, she didn't think she could lose it again. Even if it was wearing her down, even if it hurt more and more to put the claws in. She still didn't want it to end. She didn't want to stop.

Adrien might be ready, but she most definitely was not.

 **Author's Note: Whew! This chapter was So Hard to get right. (Maybe I didn't, but it's as close as I think we're going to get.) My darling daughter is quite out of the picture at this point, though she did give me the scenario for the akuma (it was a crazy cat man who had just received a notice from the city that he had way more than the legal limit of cats and they would be coming to relocate all his animals. He was distraught that they would be taken, so Hawkmoth let him make as many cats as he wanted to make . . . it didn't come up in the story, but for those of you who were curious as to how that all went down – that's how it went down.)**

 **Thoughts?**


	5. Chapter 5: The Storm and the Rainbow

**Chapter Five: The Storm and the Rainbow**

Marinette looked to Alya and Nino from where she knelt on the ground with her arms tight around a shaking Adrien, feeling remorseful that she'd made him worry to the point of panic and feeling rather surprised that he actually had been worried. Alya's expression was difficult to read, probably because feeling happy for Marinette being Adrien's favorite source of comfort and feeling concerned about Adrien didn't exactly smooth over a face very easily. Marinette felt the same way. It was thrilling and wonderful to have Adrien bury his face into her hair, but she wished the circumstances behind it could be better. She didn't like watching him suffer. Nino just looked worried, especially when Adrien pulled back and put both his hands on Marinette's face, right where her mask had been over her cheekbones. His breathing was mostly back to normal, but he was still acting odd, tears on his face and making no effort to stand.

"Adrien, can you help us out?" Nino eventually said, bending down to put a hand on his back. "You, um, don't normally cry. Is this still an anxiety thing or are you hurt?"

"I'm ok now," Adrien answered. "Thanks." But he still had his hands on Marinette's face, his thumbs tracing over the lines her mask usually covered. "You're so amazing," Adrien said, staring straight into Marinette's eyes, his attention absolute, making her uncomfortable. He did it a lot, actually, staring at her, but this time instead of looking at her as if he were trying to recognize her, his eyes appeared to be asking her urgently to recognize him. She made a noncommittal sound in reply, not knowing what to do with that. He touched his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, starting to laugh in a choked emotional way. Now she was really freaked out.

"Maybe we should call someone?" Alya suggested.

"I'm all right," Adrien spoke up, not very convincingly. "Everything's fine, well no," here he looked at Marinette again, serious and sharp. "But it will be." He lowered his voice. "I promise."

He separated from Marinette gradually while she remained perfectly still, treating him as if he were a wild, unpredictable animal who was equally likely to lunge for her as he was to run away. In the past week, she'd been through plenty of new things with Adrien. She knew that sometimes he couldn't breathe, that sometimes he saw things that weren't actually happening that startled and frightened him. She knew that being at school wore him out, but he couldn't stand not going. She'd watched over him protectively, taking things one at a time in stride, but this was a little too far from her comfort zone. If he were going to start looking at her like that, telling her she was amazing, making her weird promises that seemed to be coming from a deep place inside him trying to reach an unknown place inside her, then she wasn't sure she could keep doing what she did for him. She didn't think she could come back from this place they were going. She felt the edges of her heart crumble as she thought to a future where Adrien would no longer be hers like this. It wouldn't be far off either. He'd done things today that would have been physically impossible at the beginning of the week. The episodes he had were becoming less frequent. It wouldn't be long before he wouldn't need her anymore.

They were still staring at each other, trying to find a place where things made sense, when Mr. Damocles joined them on the sidewalk.

"Mr. Agreste," he said, officially, but then actually registered that the student in question was kneeling on the ground, throwing him off. "Is there an emergency here?"

"No, sir," Adrien replied, automatically. Nino helped him stand up, keeping close to make sure he could stay that way.

"That's good. I'm here to tell you your father called, and your driver is on his way to pick you up now."

"What? No," Adrien protested. "That's not necessary . ."

Mr. Damocles held up one hand. "You'll have to take it up with him. He's excused you for the remainder of the day. Mr. Lahiffe, will you please run inside and gather Adrien's things for him?"

"Oh, okay," Nino acknowledged, giving Adrien's arm a gentle fist bump before leaving.

"As for you two," Mr. Damocles went on, taking in Alya and Marinette. "Lessons have resumed. Please go join your class."

Marinette looked to Adrien, not willing to leave his side unless he said it was all right. He looked suddenly miserable and overwhelmingly disappointed. She knew he didn't want to go home, that he especially didn't want to go home on his father's terms, but maybe today it would be a good idea. Their afternoon hadn't exactly been the most normal.

"Go on now," their principal urged when neither Alya or Marinette made any move to go inside.

"As class representative," Marinette said, taking a deep breath and a chance. "I'd like to stay here until Adrien's ride shows up. I'm already late; what's a couple more minutes?"

"Very well," Mr. Damocles relented, turning his gaze to Alya. "You go in." Alya touched Adrien's arm in parting, gave Marinette a twinkling look that promised they were going to talk about every piece of this afternoon together later, and marched powerfully toward the door as if it had been all her idea. She passed Nino on the way in, but he only stayed long enough to hand Adrien his bag and tell him that he would call him later.

"Don't dawdle saying good-bye," Mr. Damocles instructed as he clasped his hands behind his back and left them alone on the sidewalk. Marinette decided not to answer him. She'd just saved the city; she was going to take as much time as she wanted to.

"Thank you, Marinette," Adrien said when they were alone. "For everything."

"It's nothing," she said without thinking much about it, particularly since she truly thought there probably wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him.

"Not to me," he told her, looking at her the way he did sometimes that made her feel completely disconnected from her body. This was usually where Alya would reach over and close her mouth for her. She touched her fingers to her lips to make sure she hadn't let her face go completely slack. He was being way too serious for her to fangirl. "It really means a lot that you've been helping me so much; I know you've got plenty of other things in your life right now, but you never make me feel like I'm bothering you."

"You don't bother me, Adrien. Are you kidding? I'm happy to help."

For a second, it looked like he might start crying again, as if he were surprised that she would donate so much effort to him. He opened his mouth, but closed it again, shaking his head slightly.

"What is it?" Marinette pushed, wanting to know what he'd been about to say.

"Not now," he told her, mysteriously. His car pulled up alongside the curb, and the woman Marinette recognized as Mr. Agreste's executive assistant stepped out brusquely, gesturing for Adrien to get in. Before going to her, Adrien touched foreheads with Marinette one more time, breathing deeply.

"You smell nice," he told her in parting. Marinette bit her tongue hard before she uttered a stupid 'you do too' after him, instead taking a moment to stare, shocked. The assistant put her hand on Adrien's shoulder, guiding him gently into the car. She spared a glance backward at Marinette, giving her an approving nod before slipping in next to Adrien and signaling for the driver to leave.

"See?" Came the high-pitched smugness from the bag at her side after the car was out of sight. "It's happening!"

"I'm dead, Tikki. Officially. Dead."

"The word you're looking for is besotted – not dead."

"Don't you mean bespotted?" Marinette heard herself say, then bit her tongue again. Where had that even come from? Tikki laughed while Marinette smacked her forehead with her palm, aggravated that she'd destroyed her own good mood by making herself remember Chat Noir. At a time like this! She could have at least given herself a few more seconds to relish what had just happened with Adrien without immediately shifting to the huge problem she had with her partner.

"Marinette? What happened? You just got all serious."

"I was thinking about Chat Noir."

"Now? Which one?"

"The one who says ridiculous things like bespotted, but Tikki, we have a problem with the new one. I really don't know if I can keep working with her."

"Marinette," Tikki sighed. "We've talked about this. You won't have to keep working with her. We just have to be patient."

"This isn't about me," Marinette explained, then went on to describe the battle, specifically how she'd had to protect the akuma victim. "We can't keep fighting like this. She acts angry, like getting to Hawkmoth is super personal to her and the villains he creates are almost . . . insulting. And the way she fights; it's so aggressive. I'm afraid of what she might do with the next one. We were lucky Adrien was there to be the hero today, but I don't want to think about what she could be capable of doing. Do you think Master Fu could have made a mistake when he selected her to hold onto Chat's Miraculous?"

"No," Tikki said simply but worriedly. "Master Fu has been a Guardian for generations, but it's up to the kwami to select a Chosen."

"But Master Fu was the one who tested me before he left me the earrings," Marinette pointed out, confused as to where this conversation was going.

"And I'd been watching you long before that. Looking into your heart, Marinette, and I found the makings of the perfect Ladybug."

"Thank you, Tikki, but that doesn't explain about Chat's kwami. Do you think he didn't get to choose this time?"

"I don't know for sure," Tikki mused. "Maybe? It could be that this Chosen is just very different than before."

"Or?" Marinette pressed, convinced that it was more than that. A difference in personality she could handle; a difference in morality was another matter.

"Or it could be possible that Plagg is too much for her."

"What does that mean?" Marinette was getting frustrated. A simple answer, that's all she wanted. Something to be simple.

"Plagg's powers are dark, not evil, but on the edge. And he's one of the strongest kwamis tied to a Miraculous. Not just anyone can carry the power of destruction and not have it change them. He has to choose someone extremely pure in spirit, without wrath, vengeance, or arrogance. Someone with a keen loyalty for the greater good."

"And what if he ends up with someone not like that?" Marinette asked, fearing the answer.

"Then we'll have a much bigger problem than Hawkmoth's akumas."

"Do you think we should visit Master Fu? I'd feel more comfortable continuing to work with Chat Noveau if I understood more about why she has the Miraculous, and if I had a better idea of how much longer we'll have to partner together."

Tikki pouted, considering. She didn't like for Marinette to visit the Guardian, every time she sought him out put them both at risk for discovery. They couldn't make it a habit. Marinette understood that, but sometimes circumstances demanded that she get a little extra guidance. This felt like one of those times. Especially if it meant preventing having to fight Chat Noveau later. She didn't even think she could do that – it was out of her level.

"Maybe you're right," Tikki gave in.

"Ok. Then we'll go ask him –"

"Miss Dupain-Cheng, is there any particular reason you're still standing out here?"

"After school," Marinette clarified, putting her hand over Tikki as she turned to give a guilty smile to her principal. "I'm coming!" She called, jogging toward where he held the door open for her.

BB

Adrien twisted his fingers around the place where his missing ring should be as he rode in silence, thinking about Marinette and Ladybug. He hadn't been ready to leave her yet; he wanted to watch her for a while, just to make sure. No, he was absolutely sure, but he still wanted to watch her, see how she might be different now that he knew. Marinette was Ladybug, which was just about the best thing ever. Now he wouldn't have to crunch so much devotion into the few minutes before and after battles, have to interrupt things he wanted to tell her because of a time limit, no more sliding heavily nuanced innuendo into a fight. He now had as much time as he wanted to do this relationship properly, like a normal teenager.

He'd almost told her, there on the sidewalk, looking at her face where the fading images of her mask flickered in his sight. But he decided against it at the last second. It would probably be better if she didn't know he knew; it would make her more comfortable. She was always so worried about her identity being revealed.

"Adrien, are you all right?" Nathalie broke into his musings, her voice quiet, deliberately gentle with him. He was so tired of that, answering that question dozens of times a day. Whenever he was still for a moment, someone was on top of him, worrying.

"Yes," he replied, sharper than he meant to. It wasn't Nathalie's fault. He tilted his head to catch her slightly hurt expression right before she turned to face front, slipping her professional veneer on like a veil. "I'm sorry," he apologized. She nodded, a tiny dip of her chin, in acknowledgement.

"Adrien," she began again, this time with a more deliberate tone. "We saw you on the news. You deliberately put yourself in danger. Your father is –"

"Furious, I know." Adrien sighed, slouching in his seat a little, trying not to roll his eyes.

"Frightened," Nathalie corrected, making him shift to study her. "I'm not sure what he will say to you when we get home."

"Oh, I have an idea," Adrien said, bitterly. His trip to the hotel to visit Valerie was not going to happen. He might be forbidden to attend school for a while. He probably couldn't ask Marinette to come to Rose and Juleka's singing thing on Sunday night. His life would close up tight, indefinitely. Still, he would have made the same choice even with all the consequences given to him up front.

"Adrien, I don't think you understand. This is very serious, and I'm not just talking about what you did today. He can't lose you, Adrien. I know it doesn't make much sense, but it's hard for him to look at you sometimes because of how you are pulling away, how he can't keep you safe forever, despite his power and resources. When you disappeared at Christmas, he shut down. He just stopped. He wouldn't speak or move. Your bodyguard had to physically put him in the car to drive to the hospital after you were found. Then he spent the next three days with his hands on your chest to make sure you were still breathing. He's scared to death of something terrible happening to you, and I know that his response to that fear is driving you apart. Don't let it."

"But what do I do? I can't just stay in the house in bed all the time," Adrien asked, feeling the weight of her words on him, a new responsibility that he wasn't quite sure he was old enough for.

"No, you can't, but you also don't have to leap into the middle of a fight either."

Adrien turned to look out the window. There would be no way he could explain why yes, he really did have to get involved in that fight. "What do you want me to do?" He asked again, feeling petulant but not completely closed to suggestions. He did love his father; he didn't want to hurt his feelings on purpose.

"Forgive him," Nathalie said. "For the experiences he will keep you from, for anything he could say to you in a few minutes. Submit, quietly, with the understanding that behind what he says, or how angry he seems, he's just a heartbroken and terrified man who doesn't know how to respond to it."

"That's asking a lot," Adrien told her, laying his head down in the seat between them. "This is my life he's controlling."

"Trust me. Think of it as a Chinese finger trap. The more you pull away, the tighter it will become, but pushing closer will lead to freedom. You understand?" He heard himself sigh, feeling exhausted not only from what he'd already done that day but from the idea of what Nathalie was asking him to do. It made sense, kind of. It might be worth a try, but how was he supposed to find and retrieve his Miraculous if he was grounded forever? How would he help Ladybug with Chat Noveau? Or get closer to Marinette? How long could he put those things on hold while he waited for his father to learn to let go?

"I get it," he acknowledged without agreeing, stiffening slightly when Nathalie put her hand on his head, curling his hair around her fingers.

"It was very brave," she said softly. "What you did for Ladybug today." He relaxed into the touch, allowing himself a smile at the memory.

"Someone had to help her. I'm glad I could."

"We're here," she informed him, removing her hand.

Grudgingly, Adrien sat up and waited for his bodyguard to open the door for him. Nathalie placed an arm around his shoulders in escort up the front steps and into the house where his father stood, an intimidating figure, midway down the staircase. Adrien took a deep breath, ready, realizing that it took more courage to stand here in his own entryway than it had to run to rescue Ladybug. Nathalie's presence disappeared as she took her place between Adrien and his father, standing to the side, a supportive statue, mouth closed and face carefully kept blank.

Submit quietly, he told himself, keeping his shoulders square and head up, lowering only his eyes to the floor in front of the stairs. No, better than that. He'd lecture himself.

"I'm sorry, Father," he began before Gabriel started. "My behavior this afternoon was dangerous and lacking in judgment. I was very lucky that nothing came of it, and I know that I caused you unnecessary discomfort with my actions. I wasn't thinking, but I will plan better in the future. I'm ready to accept the consequences for what I've done." He thought he saw Nathalie smile, just slightly, her head bowed and hands behind her back, but the situation was too delicate for him to look at her directly. He looked instead at Gabriel, who stood completely still, his face unreadable. Adrien wondered if he'd broken him somehow.

Slowly, his father came down the steps, closing in on Adrien until he couldn't help but cringe. Had he made it worse? But when he peeked up to look at Gabriel, he saw how sad his eyes were. The hands he expected to grab him gently came to rest on his shoulders.

"Sometimes I forget," Gabriel said, shifting one hand to tilt Adrien's chin up. "How very young you are." Adrien's nerves were all tingling, tense, unsure what this meant. Was he in trouble? Was his father going to hit him or hug him? "I'm glad you weren't hurt." Adrien wanted to exhale in a relieved rush, but his father still held his face, so he held his breath. "But I do want you to stay here for the remainder of the day to make sure."

Again Adrien had to force himself to be quiet before he made any protest. He wanted to insist that he was fine, that there was nothing to worry about. But that wasn't submission. . . or quite true.

"Okay," he said instead. "I . . .am really tired." He didn't like the idea of waiting another day to see Valerie again, but if he didn't want to stretch his sentence out any longer, he'd better keep to Nathalie's suggestions to just accept what was going on. It actually seemed to be working the way she said it would. Gabriel bent slightly, pulling him close, and he reciprocated by grabbing his father tight, making him sort of gasp in surprise. It occurred to Adrien then that perhaps his father doubted his affection for him the same way Adrien did. He tried to hold him tighter.

"Please get some rest," Gabriel told him after letting him go.

"Sir?" Nathalie's voice came out of nowhere. Adrien had almost forgotten she was there at all.

"What is it?" Gabriel asked, firm but not harsh, still looking at Adrien.

"Will it still be possible for Adrien to assist me at the meeting with the WeiQiao representatives later today?" Adrien stared at her. What was she talking about? Gabriel looked confused too, causing Nathalie to elaborate, giving Adrien a very pointed look. "Our main cotton and denim provider? The annual report and contract renewal meeting is today. I didn't put it on your calendar because it's not something you normally attend, but we discussed Adrien coming to be a translator. It was scheduled two months ago, but I can find an alternate if necessary."

"Right," Gabriel said slowly, trying to remember this conversation. "Remind me. When and where?"

"Early evening, 5 pm. We typically meet in one of the conference rooms at the hotel. It should last approximately one hour, plus driving time. I was under the impression that Adrien would be there already today and I would meet him, but if I need to make other plans, I would have to do so now."

Adrien did his best to keep his face neutral as he watched his father deliberate on whether or not he should be allowed to go. Had Nathalie talked to him about this? When? Did he truly not pay attention?

"I'll leave it up to Adrien," Gabriel eventually said, surprising his son completely. "If he feels well enough to help you, I have no problem with it for an hour meeting. Have the alternate on stand-by just in case. And please contact me if they try to raise the rates more than 4% per meter this year."

"Very good, sir," Nathalie acknowledged, but nodding to Adrien.

"Adrien, you're free to go," Gabriel told him. "If you need me, I will be in my study. Come anytime. Nathalie, could you please send me a copy of the contract you mean to go over later? I think I should review it beforehand."

"Yes, of course," Nathalie said. "I believe you'll find it in an email I sent last week, but I'll send it again right now." And suddenly she was on Gabriel's heels, headed into the study, leaving Adrien confused and alone in the entryway. What just happened?

"I'll just see myself to my room then," he whispered to no one, heading up the stairs rather slowly, as if he were waiting for everyone to come back and start over. He hadn't been yelled at. Not even lectured, and it sounded like he wouldn't have to miss school other than this afternoon or really anything he had planned except for the hotel today. Oh, but he was going to the hotel today, in a few hours; Nathalie had maneuvered his father into it like a pro.

"Nathalie, you are the best," he muttered to himself.

He texted Nino first after he was alone in his room, letting him know what happened and that they would see each other at school Monday if not before. He thanked him for all his help and for being such an awesome friend. He knew that these simple, heartfelt words pleased Nino greatly, even though he replied with a very nonchalant, "No sweat."

But when he went to text Marinette, he didn't even have her number. How was that possible? Chloe was in his phone, Nino, Alya, Max and Kim had entries. Had he really never called her before? She'd never contacted him? But then he remembered how they used to be before this year, how their conversations were awkward and extremely brief. He caved and texted Alya, asking for her number, knowing full well what he was starting.

"About time," she replied, but that was all. He spent several minutes on his bed, composing what he wanted to say to Marinette, starting and deleting about seven attempts that were all too strong, or too suspicious. Chat Noir was deliberate and direct when he spoke to Ladybug about his feelings for her; she was used to it. But Marinette and Adrien were different, as weird as that was. He'd have to start over. In the end, he sent a quick, "All's well. Call me when you can," because he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to say. Well, no, there was plenty he wanted to say. He wasn't sure what he should say. There was a hint of intimidation in their relationship now. After all, he hadn't gotten very far with Ladybug as Chat Noir. Who knew if Adrien could do any better?

He stretched out, enjoying the patch of warmth the afternoon sun was throwing through his windows. Though he hated to admit it, he was exhausted. Without consciously thinking about it, he closed his eyes, letting his body melt into the bedspread.

He didn't know he'd fallen asleep, phone in hand, waiting for a reply, until Nathalie patted his arm. The sun was far down now, the warmness dimmed, almost completely night.

"Sorry, Adrien," she apologized for disturbing him. "But if you still wanted to go to the hotel, we should leave now."

"I do," he said, rubbing his face with both hands after checking his phone. The time winked into focus, 16:40, no messages. "And you're awesome, by the way."

"I have my moments," she replied, obviously pleased.

"Do you actually have a meeting?" Adrien whispered, and she smiled.

"I do, but it's a conference call I can handle from any location, and they provide the interpreter. But I can only give you the hour. Is that enough time to do what you need to?"

"I think so." He stood up, but had a hard time staying that way. His room sort of swooped, like he'd stepped onto his skateboard instead of onto the floor. Nathalie gripped his arm, steadying him, the expression on her face hard and questioning. "It's all right," Adrien answered what she was trying very hard not to ask, realizing that everyone who thought he might have overdone it today were probably correct. "I need to do this." He could tell that she didn't agree, their ideas of need were very different right now. "And I'm not going to let you go to so much effort to get me out of the house and then not go."

"That hardly matters," Nathalie told him. "I was giving you an option not a demand."

"And I'm taking it. I know it sounds weird, but this is important."

She closed her eyes a moment, and he knew she really wanted to ask him what it was he was doing, but she was too much an assistant to go that far.

"Then let's go," she finally said, holding out his coat.

BB

Valerie pushed the starter on the dryer, leaning her head against the machine for a moment to rest. It had been tempting to call off work after what had happened that morning, but she didn't think she could handle being in her apartment alone with Plagg. They hadn't argued, yet, but she could tell they were getting close. She'd tucked him into her locker with an apology, indulging him as best she could, keeping him away from any source of news that would clue him in that she had run away from his Chosen today, but she knew that the only reason he wasn't confronting her was because he was too tired from their extra-long session himself.

She pressed a handkerchief against her eye, still bleeding a bit. There was more than one towel she'd had to rewash today simply because she'd accidentally dripped onto it while she worked. It made her frustrated and tired. At least she'd been spared having to walk all the way home. A sweet Chinese woman, even though she was already late with a delivery from her bakery, had insisted that she give her a ride, assuming that Valerie had been transformed into a cat like she had been and dropped into the metro. Valerie was carrying her unexpected kindness in her heart as if it were fuel that could keep her moving.

And she was moving, though very slowly, and by the time Adrien surprised her a few hours into her shift, she was already behind her machines by three loads. She dropped what she was doing, taking another quick swipe at her eye, before hurrying as best she could to where he peeked in from the hallway.

"Adrien," she greeted, relieved, motioning for him to come to her. "You crazy, wonderful boy. After this afternoon, I didn't think I'd see you today."

"You almost didn't," Adrien said, looking at the floor. "I thought my dad was going to lock me away forever." Valerie let that one go. She couldn't blame Gabriel for wanting to protect his son. If she had her way, Adrien would be as far removed from danger as possible.

"You scared us both, I take it," she told him, kindly, watching him carefully. He looked exhausted and determined, an uncomfortable balance on his features. "You took quite the risk."

"What else could I do? She was in trouble," Adrien defended, and Valerie backed down slightly, remembering why Ladybug had been in trouble. "Valerie," Adrien said suddenly, and she felt his fingers circle her wrist, pulling her hand away from her eye. "What happened to you? Why is your eye bleeding?" He sounded so worried.

"You weren't the only one who spent some time as a cat today," she said, trying to smile it off, gripping his hand reassuringly. "Looks like it didn't do either one of us any favors."

"You were transformed by the akuma? Did you fall into the subway?" He put both his hands on her shoulders now, as if he were trying to hold her together. "I knew she was going to hurt someone."

"What?" Valerie asked, confused.

"Chat," Adrien said, his tone angry now. "She wasn't careful in the fight today. She went too far. I . . . I'm so sorry she hurt you." He softened as he spoke, lightly touching her scar, and Valerie held her breath, feeling strange that she was on both sides of his emotions here. She tugged his hand away from her injury, surprised how comfortable he was touching it. He was the only one who ever had.

"Her . . . strategy was sound," she explained. "It wasn't the fall that did this, and it's not the first time it's happened. Adrien," she put her hand along his face, trying to ease this for him. "No one was hurt today."

"But what about next time?" He asked quickly, giving her pause. "Valerie, I need to talk to the Guardian. I need my Miraculous back. Do you have any idea how I could find him?"

"Only Ladybug knows," she said, glad she wasn't lying, even though there was so much she was intentionally keeping from him. His face fell a bit as he tried to figure out how he could get around that particular obstacle. "But if he meant for you to take it back, he would return it to you." His face filled with longing and pain.

"I don't think I can do this," he confessed. "I thought last time we talked that I could just trust that decision, or at least let it go that it wasn't mine to make, but now that I've seen what it will be like . . . I don't think I can let it happen."

"It's hard to put down a responsibility once it was yours," Valerie agreed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I know."

"You said," Adrien began, but looked unsure if he wanted to ask his question. "You said you were a Chosen once. Can you tell me what happened?"

"It might help you," Valerie said, moving painfully to where she'd left her folding. "Come sit down. You look tired." He shook his head, coming to stand next to her, picking up a towel and duplicating her fold.

"You sit down," he told her. "I'll do this." Valerie smiled, amazed how she could love him and hurt him at the same time, amazed how much he could hurt her. Would he be able to forgive her if he knew that she was keeping his Miraculous from him? Even if he knew that she was doing it for a good reason. She was so close, and she still needed Plagg.

"Together," she compromised, unwilling to sit and watch him do a job that was hers. With his help, she might catch up, though.

"So your Miraculous," Adrien started again, trying to find an unawkward way into her past and not quite managing it. "Which one was it?"

"The Butterfly," Valerie said, remembering the day she'd knelt before the kwamis, head bowed, waiting, hoping but not quite knowing for what. How Nooroo had flown over to her, kissed her forehead, and Master Fu had presented her with the brooch that she'd immediately pinned to her school uniform directly over her heart.

"No," Adrien said, almost dropping his towel.

"Yes," Valerie cut him off. "Hawkmoth has her now." Adrien's face was open and earnest, full of question and shock.

"I was fourteen, like you," she began. "But it was different then. There were no akumas; I didn't use my power that way. I was Chosen alone to help the Guardian with someone else, a man named Nicolae. They had been friends, Guardians together, but instead of protecting the Miraculous that exist already, Nicolae wanted to create more. You see, there are kwamis that live outside of a Miraculous. Some of them light. Many dark and destructive. All powerful. The Guardians disagreed on what was best, protecting the traditions of the past or creating new weapons for the future. I was told that Nicolae set fire to the temple and disappeared with the Grimoire – long before I was born. But when I was Chosen by Nooroo, the Guardian renewed his search for Nicolae."

"Why you?" Adrien cut in. "After so much time?"

"There were others before me, but the flap of a butterfly's wings can alter the destiny of the world – the power of change. My ability was the understanding of emotion, of turning people's hearts. Hawkmoth is using it for evil, but that is not what it's for. I was meant to find Nicolae and use my power to make him see that what he meant to do with the kwamis was dangerous and wrong. I was supposed to get him to understand and return the Grimoire peacefully. I trained for several years as I searched."

"But you were alone? You had no partner?" Adrien's hands had stopped moving as he watched her intently. She'd come to the part of her story that would be hardest for him.

"In the beginning, no," she said. "But I had a friend who knew my secret – Emilie, your mother."

"You knew my mother?" Adrien said, his voice small and innocent, broken and loving.

"All our lives," Valerie replied, allowing herself to fill with the memory of those times, before being a Chosen, that she had shared with Emilie. "We were always together, closer than sisters. There was nothing we didn't tell each other."

"I don't understand," Adrien cut in. "She . . never told me about you."

"Did she tell you stories when you were little?" Valerie asked, wondering if that could be true. Had Emilie really locked their friendship away from her life completely? Had she forgotten about her? Could Valerie blame her? "About the rainbow and the storm?"

"Y. . yes," said Adrien from far away, lost in memories of his own.

"Then she told you about me, about us," she said, finding a sad peace that their history had been preserved at least in some way. "She was the rainbow, the loveliest and best part of my life, shining through my darkest moments. I could never see a future that didn't have her in it. But then Gabriel came."

He looked frightened now and confused, so impossibly innocent.

"I'm all out of order," Valerie explained, the images in her mind coming fast and disjointed. Beautiful green eyes, filled with tears, as Emilie crawled into her bed at night. Perfectly manicured hands marred by blood as she stitched up a wound on Valerie's shoulder. The way she chewed her pencil as Valerie tried to help her with her English grammar. Her half fearful half delighted reaction when she discovered Valerie's kwami. How she would stroke Valerie's hair after missions and tell her how impressed she was in Valerie's secret superhero identity. Eating chocolate croissants on a blanket under the trees while reading British poetry.

"I met your mother at school, when we were very young," Valerie began, trying to put half a lifetime of friendship into concise words. "The other children wouldn't talk to me because of my parents' station. We were 'new money' as they called it then. Of course, we were too young to understand why; all they knew is that their parents had told them to stay away from me. But Emilie didn't care about that. She liked what she liked, and she was my friend anyway. We even went to the same boarding school when we turned twelve and shared a room. Everything I had was hers; everything she had was mine. Two sides of a coin. Then when I was Chosen, it was Emilie who I relied on the most – to cover for me if I missed classes, to keep my secret, to believe in me when I didn't believe in myself. I thought we would stay that way forever, but everything changed when we turned sixteen. That's when Gabriel was introduced to Emilie and was encouraged by both his and her parents to begin courting her.

"At first, I laughed him off. I couldn't imagine something as silly as a boy could come between us, but he was so adamant, and she seemed so enchanted with him. He could give her the one thing I couldn't – a home, and a family of her own. I was . . jealous of how much of her time he started taking. How our childhood was slipping away, and even though my superpowers revolved all around the concept of change, everything in me resisted it when it came to Emilie and me. I begged the Guardian to have her help me, both to keep her closer to me than to Gabriel and because we were closing in on Nicolae. He eventually agreed, and I selected the Peacock miraculous for her."

"My mother!" Adrien interrupted, completely overwhelmed. Valerie couldn't tell if he were pleased to hear that Emilie had also held a Miraculous. For her, these memories carried nothing but regret. "She was a superhero?"

"She was brilliant," Valerie continued, fondly, sadly. "As I knew she would be. She was always graceful and confident. The kwami took to her as quickly as I had. We trained together as much as I could manage it, keeping Gabriel out of the secret and as far away from her as possible. He was everything I couldn't stand about wealth and arrogance, and I did not think he deserved Emilie's affection. I thought she would see how wrong he was for her if I could just keep them apart. It was my jealousy that stole her from me in the end."

"What happened," Adrien encouraged her to continue. She had never told this part of her story out loud before. She wasn't certain she could.

"I discovered where Nicolae was hiding, experimenting on how to summon and trap kwamis, and I took Emilie with me to confront him. Despite all our training, we were nothing against Nicolae and his Scorpion Miraculous. During the battle, he stole Emilie's Miraculous and her kwami with it, leaving her powerless. I gave my all to protect her, keeping Nicolae engaged so she could escape. The last I saw her, she was on the ground at my feet as I told her to run. She said she was going for help. Nicolae went after her, but I blocked him. He was vicious, worse than any akuma, slicing my face and slamming me through a wall trying to keep her from leaving. I was pinned beneath the rubble; I watched as he ran after her, but I was losing consciousness and couldn't move. The last thing I remember doing was removing my Miraculous, hiding it with the intention of coming back for my kwami later, when it was safe. Then my memories skip to waking up in a hospital bed with Gabriel standing at the foot.

"He was furious, of course, without having any of the real details. I don't know where Nicolae went after that night, only that he took the Peacock Miraculous with him and he didn't hurt Emilie. But Gabriel only knew that I had put his girlfriend in danger, that we had somehow ended up in a building that had collapsed with no plausible explanations, and he was as tired of me coming between them as I was of him. He had an ultimatum. He offered to help my parents, who were about to lose all they had due to some bad financial choices of my father's. He said he would pay their debts for them. Also, he would keep me out of prison for trespassing on private property, for the damage that everyone thought I had done to the building where we'd fought, where I'd been found. The remnants of Nicolae's experiments that were discovered with me made it look as if I were up to something horrible. But Gabriel offered to fix everything if I were to agree to disappear, to never contact Emilie again."

"No," Adrien whispered, bracing himself on the table. Valerie put her hand on his back.

"At that time, I really felt that I had no choice but to agree. I had put Emilie in horrible danger; I knew then that I would rather she go with Gabriel, who would keep her protected better than I could, give her what she wanted most. I should never have been so selfish, should never have brought her into my fight like that. It seemed best for Emilie to escape that life, forget me. I don't know how Gabriel managed it, but after I said yes, it was like I had died. My last name was changed on the hospital records. My parents were informed of my death . . . and so was Emilie. When I had recovered enough to leave the hospital, Gabriel brought me one suitcase of my belongings and told me he never wanted to see me or hear my name spoken again. I was turned out onto the streets, seventeen years old. I couldn't find the Guardian. I couldn't return to my parents. I was forbidden from seeing Emilie, and when I went back to where I'd left my Miraculous, it too was missing."

Adrien was breathing funny now, staring at the table, his face very pale. She forced him into a chair, wondering if she'd told him too much. But this history was part of his life, these were his parents, this was what it meant to be a Miraculous wielder. He should know how hard it could be. Nicolae was still out there somewhere, and Valerie had suspicions that he had everything to do with Emilie's disappearance. Once Hawkmoth was dealt with and her Miraculous retrieved, she could go after him again, save her friend. Paris would have no more need of Ladybug and Chat Noir. He could be spared.

"I didn't . . .I didn't know," Adrien said softly. "How could he do that to you? Her best friend."

"Don't think that I'm blameless, Adrien," Valerie said, shocked that she would defend Gabriel, but she hadn't told him these things with the intent of distancing them. "I was every bit as cruel to Gabriel as he was to me. We both thought we were protecting Emilie." He looked at her, unconvinced, digging his thumb into his wrist, breathing fast. She moved close to him, worried and sorry, pulling him against her side and resting her cheek on the top of his head.

"I didn't want to upset you," she told him. "I just wanted you to understand about the Miraculous. You've been given a second chance at your life, like Emilie. I know she loved me just as much as you love Ladybug and for longer, but if she hadn't been forced into choosing what was best for her, a life outside of the Miraculous, away from me, she would have never found the happiness she has with Gabriel . . . with you."

"You're saying I should just accept that my Miraculous is gone?" Adrien challenged. "Let Ladybug handle Hawkmoth alone?"

"But she's not alone, Adrien. Chat Noir is no longer part of who you are, but he's not gone. And there is so much more for you to experience in your life. People who love you . . . like whoever knit you this scarf." She pulled it off the table and put it in front of his eyes, trying to convince him. He removed the pressure he had on his arm to take the scarf from her, looking at it like he hadn't seen it before.

"Marinette?" He whispered, the name obviously important to him. "Made this?"

"She put hours of her time into this, you can tell," Valerie said. "Time she could have spent any way she wanted, and she chose to give it to you. If you can, I would pursue this love," she pointed to the scarf. "One that is real, without a mask. Stay safe for your parents' sake and for mine."

"I . . . can't," Adrien said, hugging the scarf tight. "No, I can't let Ladybug handle this alone. I can't just quit being Chat Noir because it's safer."

"Adrien –"

"No, you don't understand," Adrien said, forcefully. "The stories – my mother cried sometimes when she told them to me, and they weren't finished. She said that the storm vanished one day, leaving the rainbow alone and sad. Even though she was surrounded with sunshine, it just made her miss the storm more. She needed the storm, the rain. The last story ends with the rainbow going to search for her storm. She didn't forget about you or stop loving you; it's not a choice you make, and I don't think she just quit being a Miraculous holder either."

"She told you that?" Valerie asked, her voice tiny now, her spirit shaken. Is that the reason Emilie disappeared? Had she really been looking for her? All this time?

"I'm so sorry for what happened to you," Adrien said. "And I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, but this is not over. I will find Chat Noir. I will take back my Miraculous."

For the second time, his phone interrupted them. He looked pained at the alarm, but he obediently stood and gathered his coat. "I have to go," he told her, unhappy about it. "But I'll come back. I'm going to fix this, Valerie, somehow. I promise."

"Don't do that," she corrected. "Don't promise. You have no idea what you're saying." He slipped his arms into his sleeves, pulling the scarf around his neck as if he were arming himself for battle. He looked at her with determined, flashing, tear-filled eyes.

"I promise," he said again, slowly, deliberately. He touched her face, running his thumb along her scar, then went out the door without another word.

Valerie took his chair after he left, not sure what had just happened or how she should feel about it. She touched the ring, hidden under her glove.

"Emilie," she said, pressing her hand to her mouth.

BB

"All's well. Call me when you can," Marinette read Adrien's text out loud as she left the schoolyard. "He never texts me. What do you think he wants me to call him for?" She questioned Tikki who had just poked one eye from her bag.

"Only one way to find out," she suggested.

"Like actually call him back? On the phone? Ha! That might end badly."

"Marinette," Tikki said wearily.

"I'll do it later. We have a mission, remember?"

"I never thought I'd see you putting Chat Noir over Adrien," Tikki mused, only half teasing.

"It's for Adrien that I'm finding the real Chat Noir," Marinette protested. "I can't have him jumping into battles all the time, can I?"

Though it would be much faster to reach Master Fu's with Ladybug's help, Marinette went this time the long way, using the bus, trying to read her literature homework on the way even though the sun was going down. By the time she'd reached the massage parlor, it was already closed, the lights off inside. But when she knocked, the door opened to her easily.

"Come in, Marinette," greeted Master Fu who knelt in the center of the room in a meditative posture. "To what do I owe the pleasure? I trust there's not another emergency?" Right. The last time Marinette had arrived, she'd thrown herself through the door in a rush, calling for help. It had been more than a little dramatic, but the situation seemed to merit it at the time.

"Not quite, Master," she said, kneeling across from him when he gestured for her to do so. "But I do want to talk about that night."

"What of it?" Fu invited, eyeing Wayzz and Tikki as they floated around each other.

"I know Chat Noir and I weren't partners long, but I trusted and depended on him so much. I want to know what happened to him. What made it so you had to give his Miraculous to someone else and is he all right?" Fu's eyes narrowed, his expression confused. It made Marinette wonder if she'd asked something inappropriate. She continued, her words getting faster. "Maybe you can't tell me, which is fine, but there's something else I want to talk to you about too. The person who has the Miraculous now is really intense. Tikki and I are worried that Plagg's powers might be too much for her?"

"Stop," Fu commanded, holding out a hand first to her and then using it to stroke his chin, thinking. "You're saying that someone else holds the black cat Miraculous?"

"Yes, didn't you give it to her? She's sort of scaring me."

"In what way?"

"Well, here, let me show you." Marinette pulled her phone out, bringing up a video of this afternoon's akuma attack. Tikki hovered over her shoulder as she replayed Chat dropping the cats into the subway, going after the akuma victim, and on through to when Adrien was transformed and retrieved the scarf. There was just a moment of Chat taking off after the butterfly before the video cut out.

"Oh," Master Fu said, drawing out the word into multiple meanings. It made Marinette's teeth itch with questions. "So that's what happened."

"What?" She asked. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

"I hope not," Fu told her gently, and she had the sinking feeling that he wasn't about to explain any more than that. "I apologize for this situation, Marinette. I apparently trusted in someone I shouldn't have."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you are correct; Plagg's powers are too much for this particular person. But don't worry, she means well and has a good heart. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

"Um, sure. But what should we do?"

"You are to do nothing at present. This is for me to handle."

"But what about Chat Noir? I mean mine, the one I'm used to fighting with." She'd thought for sure Master Fu would know. Thought for sure that he'd been the one who would have returned the Miraculous.

"I'm actually unsure about him right now, but I am going to find out. I will find you if I need your assistance." Marinette felt dismissed and uncertain. Master Fu stood up, and she followed him. "I'm sure it will be all right," he told her as he ushered her outside, closing the door between them.

"I don't like this, Tikki," Marinette said immediately, before she'd even turned to head back to the sidewalk. "Does this mean that Master Fu didn't give Chat Noveau the Miraculous?"

"It sounds that way," Tikki agreed.

"But then how did she get it? What happened?"

"I don't think that's for us to know. Master Fu will put it right, though. Don't worry."

"Everyone keeps telling me that," Marinette objected. "But I'm worried anyway."

BB

Adrien slipped into his car and immediately rested his head against his seat, closing his eyes. He pushed into the underside of his wrist without consciously thinking about it, full of anger and sorrow and longing. He felt Nathalie's gaze on him, as heavy as a physical touch, but there was nothing he could say to her. His parents, how could he have never known this about his parents? Why had he never asked his mother why her stories about the rainbow made her so sad? And Valerie. Her beautiful face, sliced open and bleeding, thinking that she actually deserved what had happened to her. He felt sick.

"A. . Adrien?" Nathalie said his name hesitantly, knowing that he didn't want her to ask him if he were all right but not being able to stop herself. She touched his hand lightly and he curled to the side, putting his head in her lap. He felt her hands go up in surprise but then come to rest on his head and shoulder. He heard her let out a breath, amazed that he could detect pity in it. "Are you crying?" He was. He didn't know when he'd started, but he didn't think he could stop now. Nathalie brushed her hand against his forehead, checking his temperature. "We're almost home," she promised.

When they arrived, she all but carried him to his room. He wasn't crying by that time, but he was in that fragile, weak state afterward where he didn't trust himself to speak for fear he would start again. Nathalie removed his coat and scarf and gave him a puzzled look when he pulled the sky-blue wool back from her, holding it tight with both hands.

"Your father is expecting me," she said, looking at him softly. "But I'm not sure if I should leave you?" He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at nothing, his thoughts revolving around all he'd learned that evening. His parents, the Peacock Miraculous, Valerie, Ladybug, and Marinette. How could she have asked him to forget about Ladybug? How could she have loved his mother so much but then agreed to never see her again? How could his father have forced her to make that choice? "Adrien?"

"You can go," he told Nathalie without looking at her.

"I'll be back soon," she promised, and he nodded. How could he find the Guardian without revealing who he was to Ladybug? How could he find Ladybug without letting Marinette know that he knew it was her? Maybe there shouldn't be any more secrets? They'd get farther if he just told her the truth, right? But if she did know, what would that do for them? Ladybug was always so resolute about refusing his advances as Chat. He was so confused. He rubbed the scarf across his cheek. Valerie said Marinette had made it herself, had given him her time because she cared for him. He hadn't known that. It meant so much more to him now.

His phone rang, Marinette's number appearing on the screen. He took a deep breath before answering. "Hello?"

"Adrien? Oh well, I guess it would be, wouldn't it? This is your number. Anyway, you said to call you?" For the first time in hours, he felt himself smile, picturing her putting her face into her palm.

"Yeah," he said, holding his phone as if it were her. "Thanks."

"You ok?" She asked suddenly. "You sound upset."

"I'm fine; it's just been a long day," he told her. "But I wanted to ask you –" He paused. Why was this suddenly so hard?

"Adrien? Are you alone? Should I come over?"

"No, it's ok." But he wanted her to. He wanted her to be here with him even at the same time he didn't want her to see him this way. He wanted to tell her the truth, and he wanted her to never know. He wanted his Miraculous returned, but now he understood the danger of possessing it. There was so much conflict here. "Are you going to Rose and Juleka's thing on Sunday night?"

"I was planning to. I want to support their idea, and it sounds like fun, doesn't it?" Her tone was careful now, still monitoring him but allowing their discussion to go where he wanted it.

"It does," he agreed. "I thought maybe we could go together?" Dead silence on the line. For a second he thought she'd hung up or dropped the phone. Had he said something wrong? Was she going to say no? Then he heard a weird muffled shriek. "Marinette?" He asked, concerned.

"Sorry," she said, rather nervously, back on the line as if nothing had happened. "You want to go with Nino and Alya? As a group?"

"No, well, I guess they could come too, but I want to go with you, Marinette. As a . . date." This time the line really did go dead. She hung up on him? But then his phone lit up with a text, a big all caps YES from her. He smiled. She was so funny. He curled up on the bed, still holding the scarf, feeling a little bit better, a little more secure. Even if he did never find his Miraculous, at least he still had Marinette in his life. For now, that was more than enough.

BB

Valerie's shift ended as usual at 23:30 at night. The carts were all stocked neatly for the maids to begin their cleaning rounds in the morning, and by tomorrow afternoon she would be right back where she started. She retrieved Plagg from her locker and tucked him onto her shoulder, physically lifting him there even though he could do it fine on his own. They said nothing to each other and that silence continued down the hall, up the elevator, out the staff door and halfway across the courtyard to her apartment.

"Oh," said Plagg, surprising her. "It's Master Fu." That got her attention. She snapped her head up, looking toward her door, seeing that Plagg was right. Master Fu was there, waiting for her. "Maybe Adrien's ok now. I bet he's come to take me back to him!" Valerie knew he was right, but she didn't share his happiness about this news. Master Fu had noticed her now. He was making his way toward her across the snow. Valerie stopped dead.

"Come on, Valerie," Plagg encouraged, excited. "You won't have to keep hurting yourself helping Ladybug anymore. Let's go."

"Claws out," Valerie said.

"What? No!" Plagg cried, but didn't have time for more than that. Master Fu began to run towards her, but it was too late for him to catch her. Chat's night vision in place and baton in hand, Valerie fled from the courtyard, leaping to the security of the rooftops. She ran, not truly knowing where she was going just that she needed to get away, coming to rest in the bell tower of Notre Dame where she dropped the transformation and half fell into the masonry.

"Are you crazy?" Plagg yelled at her. "What are you doing?"

"I can't lose you yet, Plagg," she told him, covering her eye with one hand. "I'm too close."

"You're . . . kidnapping me?" Plagg said, distraught.

"No," she denied. "You're Adrien's, I know, but I am so close to Hawkmoth. I just need a few more days."

"Look at where we are! We're in a Bell. Tower. In the middle of the night. In the dead of winter. How is any of that good?"

"I'm sorry, Plagg," she said, holding herself tight. How could she make him understand why she was doing this? She was trying to help protect Adrien.

"No," he said, softening. "I'm sorry. I told you to transform; I practically forced you to do it. I should have known what that would do to you. This is my fault." He flew close to her, coming to rest on her knee, the one that had been crushed by Nicolae. "You're a good person, Valerie. I know you think you have good reasons for doing what you're doing, but deep down you know that it isn't right or you wouldn't have run. Please, let's go back to Master Fu; hear what he has to say." Valerie shook her head. She knew what he was going to say. He'd probably seen what she'd done that afternoon, realized at last that she hadn't returned Plagg as she had promised. If she had already broken his trust, then she was at least going to finish her mission. It was too personal for her to quit now.

"No, Plagg," she said. He closed his eyes, drooping.

"Valerie," he began again. "You can't hide from him forever. It's cold here; you're hurting. This is getting out of control, and you're turning into someone else."

"I know what I'm doing, Plagg," she stressed.

"Then why do you sound like you're trying to convince yourself? Let's go back. He's trying to help you. And Adrien and I won't forget you. Now that we know you're still alive, everything will change. It will be ok, but you have to take me back."

Valerie looked at the kwami, saw the pleading in his little face.

"Not yet," she said, putting emphasis on each word as she pulled the ring from her finger. Plagg winked out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6: If I Return

**Chapter Six: If I Return**

"Marinette? Marinette!" Sabine's voice, piercing under the covers that she had pulled over her head. Without answering, Marinette peeked out, noticing immediately that it was still very early, her room just as covered in shadows as she was covered in blankets. The sun was making no hint of light through her window, which meant that it was nowhere near time to get ready for school.

"Your mother's calling you," Tikki said sleepily, a mixture of trying to be helpful and trying to get the noise to stop.

"Marinette! Could you please get dressed and come down?"

Marinette groaned, wrapping herself up in the blanket. Tikki poked her nose. "You're not going to ignore her?" She chided. Marinette thought that too strong a word. She wasn't ignoring her mother; she was just delaying slightly in her response. Her phone buzzed on the mattress next to her. Her mother had moved on to other forms of communication.

"Coming, Mom," she said aloud, half falling out of the bed when the comforter didn't unwrap as easily as she thought it should. Tikki helped her untangle herself, but they didn't bother making the bed properly. Marinette secretly hoped that she would be returning to it very soon, despite her mother's instruction that she should get dressed.

"Darling?" Sabine said, very close, her head appearing in the trapdoor. Tikki zipped into the tangle of blankets, out of sight.

"I'm up," Marinette told her, unnecessarily, as she methodically pulled clean clothes from her drawer.

"Thank you, dear. I'm sorry to get you up so early on a Saturday –" Marinette paused, her socks slipping out of the pile in her hands. That's right. It was Saturday! Way. Too. Early. "But there's a delivery that was called in first thing this morning that I could really use your help with. I'd go myself, but you know how the morning rush can be on the weekends."

"I got it, Mom," Marinette said, trying not to yawn while she did it. "Give me one minute and I'll be right down."

"I'll box it up," Sabine agreed to the plan, ducking down the stairs on her way to the bakery. Now that Marinette was more awake, she could smell the warmth of it, even two floors down. Giving her bed one last longing look, she pulled up the covers more neatly and slipped into her clothes.

Despite being a quarter after seven, the bakery was indeed already full of waiting customers. Sabine smiled pleasantly at the register while Tom pulled dozens of croissants, rolls, and other pastries from behind the display glass, tucking them into boxes and bags, punctuating his rounds with trips to the back to pull more trays from the oven. Later, when things calmed down around nine, they would both be in the kitchen, braiding loaves of herbed bread, folding layers of delicate, flaky croissant dough, restocking cinnamon and salt, and prepping boxed lunches for other souls who worked on weekends. That's where Marinette usually joined them; she liked to sleep in on Saturdays.

"Here it is, Marinette," Sabine greeted when she saw her daughter out of the corner of her eye. She patted a box, still warm, with small grease spots just forming along one side from the cheese used in the soufflé. The receipt was taped to the top alongside the delivery instructions. "I'll make it up to you," Sabine promised as Marinette took the box in both hands. Marinette kissed her mother's cheek, storing this information away for a moment when it might seem like she wasn't such a great daughter, like if the school called indicating she'd been late to class again, for example.

"I'll be back soon," she said, allowing another entering customer to hold the door open for her as she left. The cold of the early winter morning hit her hard on her cheeks, tucking into her neck around her collar, and swirling up under the edges of her coat. She'd almost forgotten what it was like outside at sunrise. Tikki nuzzled the warmth of the bakery box.

"Let's make this quick, right, Tikki? Now, where are we going?" She consulted the paper with the address, blinking at it, her head tilting to the side.

"What is it, Marinette?" Tikki asked. "Do you know where you're supposed to go?"

"Yes, and so do you. It's Master Fu's massage parlor." Marinette felt the tendrils of dread sneaking into her just like the wind. "Something must be wrong. Come on, Tikki."

A short bus ride later, Marinette was again on the sidewalk in front of a closed shop. Twice in two days. She curled one arm around the box to leave her other hand free to knock, but as usual, the door opened before she could make contact with it. She was not only expected but waited for.

"What's going on, Master Fu?" She asked immediately before the door was quite closed behind her. But before answering, the old man took the box from her, lifting the lid and inhaling deeply. Marinette was certain that if she had to wait for him to eat breakfast before talking to her that her head would explode. Taking the box with him to his low table, Master Fu knelt and politely served the contents onto two large and two small plates and poured hot tea for all of them. Wayzz pulled Tikki out of Marinette's coat by the hand to settle her in front of the miniature pastry serving.

"Please sit down, Marinette," Fu invited. "I imagine I brought you out too early to eat."

"Um, thank you," Marinette said, her nerves rattled. "But . . ."

"Yes, we are going to talk about Chat Noir. I'm afraid I am going to need Ladybug's help retrieving the Miraculous." Marinette felt her knees hit the floor a little harder than she'd intended. This seemed like a difficult thing to ask, especially since she had never gotten close to finding out who Hawkmoth could be to retrieve the one he'd already stolen. Now there were two!

"There is an advantage," Fu said, sipping his tea and apparently reading her thoughts. "At least this time I do know who we are looking for."

"Who . . who is it?" Marinette asked, not touching her tea. The kwamis were eating, but slowly, eyes wide and going back and forth between them.

"Her name is Valerie, and she is the original holder of the Butterfly Miraculous before it was stolen and misused by Hawkmoth. You met her Christmas Eve when she saved Chat Noir and his kwami." Tikki almost choked on her soufflé.

" _Her_?" Marinette squeaked, remembering the woman who had gotten Ladybug's attention by waving a cane. The woman with dark hair and one eye who had missing fingers and a bad limp. How could she be Chat Noveau? Her body didn't seem capable. "How could she manage? Why would she do something like that?"

"I don't believe she intended for it to go this far," Master Fu said, unbelievably calm. "I left the kwami with her that night; she'd asked permission to return him and I granted that to her. I'm not sure what went wrong; either she was not allowed to see Chat Noir or he was not physically able to take his Miraculous back. Maybe a bit of both. I imagine that she used his powers the first time in order to help Ladybug, but for someone like her, someone who knows what being a superhero is like but who was wounded and lost her kwami, someone who has spent many years alone and in pain, the temptation to continue using that power was too great."

"So she stole it," Marinette said. She knew there was a reason she didn't like Chat Noveau.

"I'm sure she doesn't see it that way," Master Fu corrected, gently. "Though I admit that she did transform and run away from me when I went to talk to her last night."

"I need to find her," Marinette decided, trying to feel confident, but in truth Chat Noveau scared her, even when she was helping her.

"That is paramount," Fu agreed, looking into his empty cup. "I waited for her to come home until very late last night. She never did, and I don't know where she would go. I don't think she has anyone to help her. I'm unsure where she would hide or how to look for her."

"Maybe we won't have to look for her," Marinette suggested, looking behind Master Fu to the record player where she knew the unused Miraculous were hidden, the beginnings of a plan formulating in her mind.

"What do you propose?" Master Fu asked, his expression clear that he had full faith in her ideas.

"Well, she may be very different than the real Chat, but she has always come to help me when there is an akuma attack. That's the one thing they have in common. If you'll allow it, I'd like to borrow the Fox Miraculous and create an illusion of an akuma. Then when she comes, we can . . . I don't know, what do you want to do with her then? I doubt she'll just stick around to talk. She doesn't do that even for real attacks; she always rushes off after the . . . oh, that's what she's doing."

"Yes, she's looking for Hawkmoth, trying to retrieve her own stolen Miraculous."

"You'd think she could understand what she's doing to Chat since she's had it done to her!" Marinette scoffed, her loyalty fiercely in one place, to one person.

"It's easy to see the wrong choices of others. Not so easy to see them in one's self, especially when you think you're helping someone."

"So when she comes to help against our fake akuma, what should we do then?" Marinette asked, trying to figure it out. She didn't want to fight Chat Noveau if she could avoid it. "Maybe we could trap her somehow? She has the cataclysm, so nothing will hold her unless she's already used it. Unless we trap her and tie her hands?" As she spoke, she noticed Master Fu's expression darken. He wasn't liking any of this plan, not for what it was but because of who they were talking about.

"It should not have come to this," he said sadly. "She's already suffered so much. I don't want to hurt her further."

"But she can't keep using Chat's Miraculous," Marinette protested. "You said so."

"That's true, and yet. . .," he stared at the wood pattern on his table. "No, it must be done."

"And what about Chat Noir," Marinette couldn't help but ask. "Did you find him yesterday too? Is he ok?"

"I have seen him, but not spoken with him yet. He knows someone else holds his Miraculous, but I don't know that he knows who it is."

"But is he ok?" Marinette pressed. "You said that Valerie might not have given the Miraculous back at Christmas because he physically couldn't take it. He was so sick when I last saw him. Please, can you tell me what happened to him?"

"I don't actually know. I should have been more diligent in checking on him. I expected too much of Valerie."

"So the only way I'll see him again is if I can get his Miraculous back?" Marinette asked. For some reason, this question made Master Fu smile.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Chat Noir is not Chat Noir without his Miraculous. I think we will proceed with your plan."

BB

When Adrien opened his eyes, he immediately scrambled to get up and out of his bed, feeling completely disoriented, sick, and frenzied. It didn't help that he wasn't waking up alone, though he thought he'd gone to sleep that way. And from what he remembered of his dreams . . . there was a lot he wanted to escape from.

"Calm down, son," Gabriel commanded as he grabbed Adrien's arm, preventing him from leaving the bed. Distorted images of Emilie with Valerie's scars kept flashing over the photos Adrien kept of her – her eye white, her smile blocked by the jagged line down her cheek – a nightmare that was still clinging to him, wet and cold. Adrien tried to swallow the pressure at the back of his throat, but his mouth was too dry. He closed his eyes again, putting his head down, waiting for the shaking to stop, for his stomach to settle. He was panting.

His father was trying to maneuver him, shifting him so he could hold him tight, but right now Adrien did not want to be touched. He struggled against Gabriel, unable to talk past whatever was blocking up his throat. He made the mistake of trying to clear it, making himself gag. Twisting hard, he broke Gabriel's grip on his arm in order to press his hand against his mouth. He needed to move, now, or else he was going to throw up in his father's lap.

By this time, Gabriel appeared to figure out what was going on and was no longer trying to keep Adrien in bed. Instead, he hurried to his side, putting an arm around his waist, leading him as quickly as possible without actually picking Adrien up to his bathroom. They made it in time before Adrien's stomach began trying to turn itself inside out, but there wasn't anything in it to come up. Adrien shuddered, caught in that uncomfortable middle ground where his insides were melting but his skin was ice cold. There were tears on his face; he couldn't really see. He didn't think he was ever going to stop.

Time came back to him in the form of a cool, wet cloth pressed to the back of his neck. He'd stopped heaving, but he still sat on the bathroom floor, staring at nothing, soaking wet, not bothering to wipe his face, breathing hard. A steady hand guided him to the tile. Several rolled up towels were placed under his ankles and knees, another taking the place of the hand at his neck as Adrien submitted limply, lying on his back with his eyes closed. His bathrobe, the one he never actually used, was draped over his torso. If he stayed just like this, not moving at all, he felt better. He thought he might even fall asleep again. Another cloth, this one warm and damp, was laid carefully across his forehead.

Dimly, far away, he could make out Nathalie's voice, not her words, just her voice, and it didn't matter because somehow he could tell she wasn't talking to him anyway. He wondered where Gabriel had gone. He couldn't hear him anymore. Flashes of the nightmares kept jumping into his consciousness, making him stiffen, then relax again as they faded. They had been so horrible. So many, and so horrible. Chat Noveau slicing Ladybug's face, crushing her through a wall. Plagg being stolen by a faceless, nameless darkness with a scorpion tail. Valerie running away from him as he held her cane and hobbled after her, clutching his chest and screaming for her not to go that way. His father telling him that he was dead now, that no one would remember his name, that he never wanted to see him again.

"You were dreaming, Adrien," Nathalie broke through the images, her voice sure. He whimpered a bit, not so certain. "Adrien? Honey, look at me." The term of endearment more than the command made him obey her. Nathalie didn't say things like that. She knelt at his side in her pantsuit, her hair perfectly held back, her glasses straight and smudge-less. Not wearing a single piece of jewelry. Her eyes and mouth both soft, yet somehow strong at the same time.

"Where's my father?" Adrien asked, his voice raspy and weird. He thought about clearing his throat again but decided immediately not to. Nathalie glanced toward his doorway.

"Pacing in the hallway. He might be a little paler than you are."

"What happened? Why was he in bed with me?" Adrien didn't even remember when he fell asleep. That was becoming a thing he didn't like. He had come home upset about what Valerie had told him about his parents. About her. He'd spoken to Marinette. He was in bed, holding his scarf. They were going to the stadium tomorrow night, provided he could walk again by then. When had everything changed?

"You started screaming in your sleep," Nathalie explained, her tone sad now. "Maybe two am? You were talking to someone named Valerie. Calling for your mother. It went on for . . . such a long time."

"I don't remember," Adrien confessed, still on his back, not moving. It was ok if he didn't move.

"You usually don't," Nathalie said, which worried him slightly. How often did this happen? Had he said anything he shouldn't have? "But maybe you can remember the last time you ate something? I know you skipped dinner last night, and I have suspicions that you didn't eat lunch either. Was it breakfast yesterday?"

"Does it matter?" Adrien asked, confused. She was right. It was breakfast. There were so many things that happened yesterday; eating just wasn't one of them.

"I think it'll make a difference in whether or not you're going to the hospital in a few minutes, yes," Nathalie answered, using a corner of the cloth on his forehead to wipe under his eyes. "It used to make you sick like this if you waited too long to eat, especially in the morning. I'm really hoping that's all that happened here. So, has it been a whole day since you've eaten?"

"Yes," Adrien confirmed.

"Okay, that I can fix," she said, confident that she had a plan now, standing so smoothly it made Adrien feel like he was falling instead of her rising. "I'll see if I can talk your father into coming in here to sit with you while I get you something."

"Talk him into?"

"He never was one for this sort of thing," she said. "He never could handle it, but this isn't something he can catch and I think you're done now if you stay still. I'll be back soon if he can't come. Okay?"

"I'm not moving," Adrien promised, closing his eyes again. Nathalie vanished from his hearing, but she was right in thinking that his father wasn't ready to come sit with him while he was still lying in the bathroom. He wasn't so sure he wanted to eat, but Nathalie seemed to know what she was doing. As usual.

What did she mean, this was something that used to happen? Adrien didn't remember ever doing this before. He distracted himself from thinking about the nightmares by thinking about how long Nathalie had worked for his father. And did she live here or something? She was always around; she knew that he had started screaming at two in the morning like she had been here herself. He was a little disappointed in himself. How could he be so unobservant that he didn't know if Nathalie had a bedroom here in the mansion or not? Or a family outside of it.

"Nathalie," he asked as soon as he heard her shoes on the bathroom tile. "Do you live here?"

"That's an odd question," she told him. "Come on, sit up slowly. I want you to eat, but not in here."

"But do you?" He insisted, peeling himself off the tile as if he'd been glued to it. The nausea was mostly gone, but the shakiness wasn't. He probably could have made it to his couch without Nathalie's help, but it didn't bother him to let her hold onto him as they moved. She didn't let go until he was seated, and only then she released him in order to hand him a glass of orange juice.

"Sip that a little at a time until your body remembers it's hungry," she instructed. He did as he was told, the sharp sweetness of the juice shocking his system a little at first, making him wonder if he was really going to keep it down or not. "And yes," Nathalie finally answered his question. "I've lived here almost as long as you."

Adrien almost spit out the juice. "For real?" He demanded, trying to find his first memory of Nathalie, going back years and years. She stood in corners, along walls, in her pantsuits, with a clipboard. She corrected his essays and quizzed him on political history. She sat beside him, listening to him read. And before that . . . the memories were all fuzzy, but there was an apron instead of a suit. Her hair not pulled back. Usually something of interest tucked into the apron pocket – an orange, a tiny toy car, a picture book, a whistle, a cocoon, a spool of sparkling thread. Always something. Nathalie looked a little hurt at his surprise.

"I suppose you wouldn't remember, you were just a baby, but before I was your father's assistant and your tutor, I was actually hired by your mother a little after you were born to be her au pair." That explanation matched the pictures in Adrien's head. He'd forgotten, but how? "I was seventeen."

"You wore an apron," he told her as she pushed the glass of juice again to his lips. "With a really awesome pocket." She smiled as he remembered.

"That's right," she said, pleased. "You loved that apron pocket."

"But where is your family?" Adrien pushed. "Even au pairs get to have a day off now and then." Nathalie shook her head, something dark crossing her face.

"That's not important," she told him. "You're my family now. Besides, your mother did most of the work, so I had plenty of time to myself. She didn't like being apart from you. I took care of you in the night when you were tiny so your parents could sleep, then took over most of your schooling when you were old enough. Then I just sort of kept an eye on you as your parents started traveling more often. Now your father needs my help more than you do, for the most part." He wanted to ask her more, but he knew it was none of his business and she obviously didn't like thinking about it. She nudged his plate over to him, nodding toward the toast. "Try a little of that; see how it goes," she encouraged. "You're looking less pale now," she added.

"Nathalie?" Gabriel called from Adrien's doorway, making her wince a bit even as she smiled at Adrien. He'd probably been expecting an update from her that she had waited too long to give. She stood, assuming her usual position whenever she was in the same room as Gabriel. Back straight, hands clasped loosely behind her, eyes looking off at nothing. No wonder Adrien couldn't remember the young woman she used to be. It was like she was a different person.

"You can come in, sir," she told him, resolutely. "Everything is fine now."

Gabriel marched into the room as if he didn't believe a word of it and thought she was keeping something from him on purpose. Adrien felt himself curl a little tighter over his toast. It was obvious that Gabriel's mood was the product of little sleep, too much stress, and no coffee, a rather volatile combination. It made Adrien defensively angry to look at him, to see what it did to Nathalie just having him come into the room, remembering what he'd done to Valerie.

"Adrien?" Gabriel turned to his son to confirm what Nathalie had just said.

"It's ok," Adrien told him, swallowing his bite. "I . . sort of forgot to eat yesterday. I fell asleep." The corners of Gabriel's mouth twitched slightly. "Nathalie knew what to do," he added, trying to help her out. He didn't want her to get in trouble for something that wasn't her fault.

Gabriel still looked put out, but he couldn't find a good reason to be angry at anyone, which didn't help matters at all. "Do you remember anything from last night?" He asked instead, his words coming out a little too quickly.

"Not what I did," Adrien answered honestly. "Some of what I dreamed."

"You know it wasn't real," Gabriel said, again too fast. "None of it was real, Adrien." Adrien replaced the piece of toast on the plate, not missing Nathalie's look. Why was he repeating that? Another time, Adrien might have thought that he was just trying to make him feel better, but there was something about the tone that made him doubt it. He sounded like someone trying to cover his mistakes. He thought of Valerie on the streets with one suitcase and no friends. Nathalie had been given a home at the Agreste mansion, but Valerie had been turned away. It wasn't right.

"Some of it is," he challenged before he could stop himself. What are you doing? He asked in his mind. This is not a safe path to walk right now. "I saw my mother, and she's real." Don't do it, Adrien. "So is Valerie." What was that? Why did he say that? Gabriel's face was closed and cold, betrayed almost.

"Finish your toast, Adrien," Nathalie ordered, a hint of pleading in her voice. Gabriel loomed over him. There was no taking it back now.

"I can guess what she told you," Gabriel said, his words chilled and edged. "But the truth is that she was very dangerous, Adrien. Your mother, in her kindness, did everything she could to keep her out of trouble, lying about where she went when she wasn't where she was supposed to be, helping her hide, spending hours and hours with her just to make sure she didn't do anything regrettable. I suppose she did it because she thought she could save her, but in the end, Valerie almost got your mother killed, and I would have done anything to prevent that. Emilie was too close to her to see her for what she really was, but I wasn't. If given the choice over again, I would change no part of it."

"They were best friends," Adrien protested, not noticing tears on his face until they dripped on his hands. He didn't know what he expected from his father, but to hear him talk about her like that without knowing what she really was, not knowing about how she'd been Chosen, not even really understanding what she meant to Emilie. It seemed too unfair. "You forced them apart. Mom missed her so much."

"She was _using_ Emilie, taking advantage of her –"

"Mom _loved_ her!" They were speaking on top of each other. "You stole her _life_!"

"I'm not going to explain myself to you; you're a child. There is no way you could understand what happened back then."

"She wasn't a threat to Mom; she was a threat to you."

"That's enough!" Gabriel lifted his hand as if he would actually hit him. Adrien cringed, but didn't break eye contact. Nathalie threw herself between them, palms lifted in supplication toward Gabriel, shielding Adrien. "She was a monster," Gabriel finished, backing down only slightly. Adrien pressed his lips together, hard, to keep them from trembling. All three of them remained motionless, an uncomfortable, fragile tangle that no one seemed to know how to get out of. Nathalie opened her mouth several times in search of a way to settle them, but she never managed a word. Adrien didn't feel safe blinking.

It was the akuma alarm that broke them from each other, the long, wailing shriek of it coming from city hall. Adrien looked toward his window; Gabriel did the same.

"Impossible," Adrien thought he heard his father whisper. He looked hard at Adrien. "Stay here," he commanded, turning quickly and heading out of the room. "Nathalie!" He barked over his shoulder, expecting her to follow him. She watched him go, but then put her hands gently on either side of Adrien's face, bending over him seriously.

"What was that for?" She begged him, her voice on the verge of cracking. "This isn't what we talked about, remember? He spent practically all night trying to comfort you. We were so worried -"

"Did you know?" Adrien asked her, hoping that she had been just as oblivious about Valerie as he had been until recently.

"About _what_?" Nathalie said, still upset, though that answer calmed Adrien toward her. There was no reason for her to know anything about it; all of it had happened before his parents had even married.

"Nathalie!" Gabriel called again, causing her to flinch. The siren was still going off outside.

"I have to go," she told him, completely torn, stroking his face sort of desperately. "But I don't feel right leaving you."

Adrien took one of her hands, kissing the top of it, sorry that she was feeling so conflicted about this, sorry he'd ever suspected that she could have sided with Gabriel over anything. "I'll be fine," he promised, his heart also split in two. Half wanted to follow Nathalie and protect her from Gabriel. Half was already outside helping Ladybug. "Thank you."

"Please finish the toast," she said, her face still worried. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

She disappeared out of the room, tagging Gabriel. Adrien tried his luck standing up, feeling stronger now that he'd eaten a little, no longer sick or shaky, pulling his clothes on as quickly as he could. He peered vigilantly out the window, trying to discern what was going on outside. Where Ladybug might be fighting. Was Chat Noveau with her? Would she be all right?

He knew it was a horrible idea, especially after what had just happened, but he also knew he was going to risk it anyway. After last time, he couldn't stand the thought of Ladybug fighting an akuma with only Chat Noveau for protection. Taking a moment to put his bed together in what he hoped would look like him resting underneath the blankets, he plucked the last slice of toast from the plate and snatched up his coat.

Though he successfully made it out of his room, through the front doors, and out the main gates without seeing anyone, the first thing he did after closing them was run right into a short, elderly Chinese man wearing a brown bomber jacket.

"I'm sorry," he apologized immediately, trying to see if he'd inflicted any damage while also checking over his shoulder to see if anyone was coming out of his house to catch him. He took several unconscious steps to the side, out of sight of his doorway.

"That's all right, Adrien," the man said, smiling up at him. Off in the distance, the akuma siren screeched, creating an urgency in Adrien to run, but he found himself fixated on the man who knew his name. He did look sort of familiar. "I came to help you retrieve your Miraculous."

"My –" The man held up one hand, preventing him from asking any questions. The sense of urgency increased, focusing in a different direction.

"There's not much time. First, the siren is not real. Ladybug is not in danger and does not need protection. I assume that's what you decided to sneak out of your house to do despite your current lack of powers." Adrien smiled, slightly self-conscious. "Second, here is the address where I believe you will find Plagg. You'll have to go there quickly and without being seen. If she knows she's being followed, she will run again. If you want to catch her, it will have to be before she transforms. And finally, but most important" both hands gripped Adrien's shoulders, eyes studying him inside and out. "Are you physically well enough to do what I've just asked you?"

"Yes," Adrien said simply, mostly because he had so many questions he didn't know where to start, trying to convince himself. He took the paper with the address on it, giving it a quick glance. "You're sure Ladybug's not in danger?" He had to clarify that. It was too important to him.

"I promise she is not. That being said, I think you will do a better job as her teammate if you take back your kwami."

"I thought," Adrien confessed, figuring out somewhere in this conversation that he was speaking to the Guardian Valerie had told him about. "I thought you didn't want me to be Chat Noir anymore, after what I did to Plagg on Christmas Eve."

"No, the kwami has Chosen you, Adrien, because of your pure spirit. It takes a rare and special person to hold the Miraculous of the black cat. The decision to take him away is not mine; it's his. I meant for him to be returned to you as soon as possible. Everyone makes mistakes, Adrien," the man said, his head dropping a little. "You know what yours was. Mine was trusting Valerie to return Plagg to you."

"Valerie!?" Adrien stared at the address again. The street near the hotel, right across the courtyard. The paper began shaking in his fingers. Had she really taken Plagg? Was she Chat Noveau? How was it possible? But she'd told him -

"Valerie has also made mistakes," the Guardian said, firmly, putting his hand over Adrien's. "Do not forget your own when you see her. Know that she used Plagg's power to run from me last night; she will likely try to do so again. Stealth is important here. She's knows I'm looking for her, but she doesn't know about you."

The paper crumpled in Adrien's fist, but he could barely see it anymore. She'd had Plagg, all this time. How had he not seen him those hours he'd spent with her in the hotel laundry? Perhaps she had taken off the ring while she worked?

"Adrien?" He blinked, trying to focus on the face in front of his. The Guardian was staring at him the way he was getting used to being stared at. With concern. He pushed his thumb into his wrist; he didn't have time for this. "Oh," the man sighed, drawing a conclusion. "I see why she held back. You're still recovering. Are you sure that you can -"

"I'm fine," Adrien demanded, trying to prove it with his voice. "I have to be." He couldn't keep living his life this way. There had to be an end to it, and he truly believed that if he could get Plagg back that it would help. He wasn't sure how, exactly, just that it would.

"I hope so," the Guardian agreed, then stepped away. Adrien took off down the street toward the hotel.

BB

Across Paris, still in the Notre Dame bell tower, Valerie slid her finger into Chat Noir's ring, cupping a hand around Plagg as he materialized in front of her. She motioned for him to be silent. He looked frustrated and almost afraid, but he made no sound. They had not spent the night here; the cold exposure would have killed her. She'd found a way down into the main building, out of the weather. It wasn't much warmer, but if it was good enough for Quasimodo, then it was good enough for her. Apparently, security was light at the top of the tower. No one anticipated anyone to enter from that direction. She'd slept tucked into the swaths of a dusty velvet curtain so long it draped along the floor. When the acolytes had arrived in the morning to start lighting the candles, she'd made her way back up to the tower to remain out of sight, still planning what her next move should be. She knew she had to return to her apartment, gather some items before she could officially go into hiding.

She didn't like to think that way. Going into hiding sounded like she actually might be doing something wrong. If only they would let her explain what she was trying to do. If only they could understand.

Plagg was looking off into the distance, reacting to the sounds of the siren going off, trying to catch a glimpse of the akuma victim from where they perched high off the ground. Valerie knew he wouldn't be able to; there was nothing to see. Valerie could always feel them when they were sent out, and she knew that whatever Hawkmoth was doing this morning, transforming innocent citizens into villains was not one of them. This felt more like a trap; however, it was providing her with the opportunity she needed. If Ladybug were expecting her to come help her at the sound of the siren, the Guardian would likely be with her to take Chat's Miraculous. Which meant that her apartment was probably safe for her right now.

She wouldn't have put the ring back on, now that Plagg was going to be difficult, now that he knew she was deliberately keeping him away from Adrien, but she needed Chat Noir to get down from the bell tower and over to her apartment quickly. In the end, neither of them had a choice but to transform.

"Plagg," she said gently, turning his attention over to her, still thinking that they meant to go fight an akuma that wasn't actually there. His green eyes were filled with his age today, looking deeper for his silence. She could read the disappointment in them as well as the pity. She wanted neither. "Claws out." He lowered his head, shrinking into the ring.

She breathed in relief as Plagg's power wrapped around her, soothing the stiffness of her long-ago broken bones, returning her eyesight, pushing aside the ache of the cold, better than any drug. Quickly, she reminded herself. Ladybug and Master Fu would only wait so long to see if she would turn up. Then they would start actively looking for her. She needed to be in and out before that happened. And yet, she did not push the limits of her capability for speed as she dropped from the tower. She took the time to seek out where Ladybug had set her trap, careful to keep out of their notice. The siren had yet to stop, but Ladybug stood still in the snowy grounds of the park. Another girl Valerie had never seen before wearing the disguise of Trixx's Miraculous stood beside her, flute of illusion at the ready. So he had thought this a matter important enough to bring out another Miraculous? That brought the total up to six out in the open. Either he was getting careless or desperate. Valerie twisted, trying to widen her reconnaissance zone. Master Fu was nowhere to be seen, which startled her enough to move away in a hurry. She did not want to be somewhere he could sneak up on her.

Or maybe if he was not with the girls, had he gone to keep watch at her apartment? Did he know that she would suspect a trap? Her training told her to assume that he would be there, waiting for her.

She slipped through Paris as if she were made of shadows, taking cover behind chimneys, touching down on the ground only in narrow alleys where no windows could see her. The akuma siren wailed unendingly, calling for her to come. She ignored it.

Using one arm, she swung off the fire escape of her building, neatly landing in a crouch at her front door. She scanned quickly for Master Fu, her muscles tensed to flee if she needed to, but everything was quiet. With her caution still keenly in place, she let herself in, reluctantly dropping the transformation.

"Here, Plagg," she said quietly, setting out a platter of cheese on the table next to her maps, blinking against the sting in her eye. Her hand was shaking. "An olive branch."

"I'm not hungry," he said, petulantly.

"Suit yourself," she told him, leaning painfully over the map. She'd already blacked out the areas where she knew the butterfly definitely could not be going, a star in the place she had last seen it with long lines drawn for all the paths forward it could have taken. There was a circle around one of the houses in its path, a circle and a question mark, but Valerie was almost certain she was correct. It made too much sense. And if she were right, she just needed one more night to make a plan. She had to do this delicately. She didn't want Adrien to be hurt.

The knock on her door came, sooner than she expected. She ripped the ring off her finger almost before Plagg could turn his head. She hadn't been fast enough.

"Valerie? It's me. Adrien."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, not even bothering about the blood on her face, limping badly to the door. Master Fu she could have handled. She could have transformed and dashed right past him, but something in her still cared a little about what Adrien thought of her. She paused with her hand on her door handle, somehow knowing that if she let him in, that would be the end of it. Once he was through the door, her days as Chat Noir would be over. She would return to being the dead woman that everyone avoided looking at when she walked outside in the sunlight. The Chosen who lost her partner and her kwami. The monster in the hotel basement.

Blood from her eye dripped onto her hand. She hated the sight of it, the proof of her unworthiness to hold the Miraculous. She hated how she felt after a transformation. It hurt so much now. She was a whole new kind of monster. Memories of Adrien destroying the kiosk out in the courtyard came to her mind. She'd turned into the person she was afraid he would become.

She turned the door handle, ever so slightly.

BB

"Hi, Chloe? Yes, this is Ladybug. Our test is over now, so could you please have your dad turn off the siren? Uh huh, yes, I am very grateful for your help. Anytime? Wow, that's so . . . nice of you to offer, but we are done for today. I'll . . call you if I need you again. Of course I will. No, how could anyone forget? Yeah . . . yep . . uh huh . . .mmm bye Chloe," Ladybug used one thumb to slide her phone closed while pressing her other hand to her face. Alya, as Rena Rouge, already had both her hands covering her smile.

"Oh, the things you could do to that girl," Rena said. "And she would totally deserve them." Internally, Ladybug knew exactly what her friend was saying, and if she were being honest, she would confess that she'd already entertained several humiliating ideas. But those were the kinds of things Marinette could speculate on, if she was feeling bold, but Ladybug had much higher standards. She tried to keep her expression innocent.

"She helped us today," she pointed out, trying to find a bright side for Chloe.

"Not that it did you any good," Rena said, disappointed, tucking her flute behind her. "Not a flicker of Chat Noir anywhere. Are you sure he agreed to participate in the training session?"

When Ladybug had arrived at Alya's with Trixx's necklace, she hadn't given her friend all of the truth. She still didn't want everyone to know how the real Chat Noir was missing. So she'd made up a story about needing a fake akuma to train with instead. Alya was always so excited to be Rena that it hadn't taken much explanation to convince her to participate.

"I thought he'd come," she answered, finally, staring at the pacing tracks she'd made in the snow while they waited. There was a hollow place in her heart, a piece Chat had taken with him when he disappeared. She wouldn't even mind him teasing her about it, as she knew he would, if she could only see him again. But for that to happen, she had to steal the Miraculous back from Valerie. And to do that, she had to find her.

"Can I ask," Rena began, looking hesitant. "What's up with you and Chat lately anyway? Are you fighting?"

"Not at all," Ladybug said, trying to sound cheerful. "We're just working on some new strategies." Rena raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "We're not fighting," she insisted. Or talking. Or working together, she continued bitterly in her head.

"You look pretty heartbroken for someone who's not fighting," Rena pointed out, looking as sly as her kwami. "It looks like you realized a little too late that you like him."

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug asked, forgetting for a second that this was not a conversation between Alya and Marinette.

"That's just what it looks like to us outsiders," Rena said, having the audacity to shrug. "Like Chat finally moved on from chasing you, because him loving you was never a secret to anyone, except you maybe, and you suddenly discovered that you missed it, just a little too late. Now you're trying to get him back."

"You've . . . got it wrong," Ladybug told her, but without any heat. She wasn't actually sure anymore. She'd thought she was completely in love with Adrien, devoting most of her effort for figuring out how to spend time with him when he was practically inaccessible. Yet she found herself thinking about Chat Noir a lot, missing his jokes, missing his playfulness. Even though she was with Adrien more now, it was always filled with concern and a certain delicacy. She loved it, but it made her tired. She felt like she needed to be one hundred percent sturdy for Adrien, that she wasn't quite free to be herself. She missed how Chat could be strong for her when she needed it, that they could be silly together. And she hated that she was even thinking about it so much, like she wasn't being true to Adrien because of it. Confusing. And irritating.

"Maybe so," Rena conceded, spreading her hands to either side, not understanding that her casual assumption was causing so much internal turmoil. "Like I said, we're just the spectators. Personally, I'd love to see you two work it out and go back to how you used to be . . . or better."

"Thanks, Rena Rouge," Ladybug told her, trying not to sound too distracted. "Sorry today didn't go quite as we planned it to."

"My pleasure, I need to get back home now anyway, but can you remind me how to get my old look back since I didn't get to use my Mirage? I keep wanting to say 'Mischief Managed' but I don't think that's how it works."

Ladybug guided Rena out of sight. "It's 'Let's Pounce' for transforming, and then 'Let's Part' for the detransformation. Remember?"

"Yeah, I like my phrase better, though," she said, smiling playfully. "Let's part, Trixx," she commanded, Rena's costume disintegrating from her boots to her mask, leaving Alya standing with Ladybug, Trixx smiling at her adoringly.

"See you again," Alya told him, swiping her pointer fingers up and over his ears.

"Soon," Trixx nodded, and even though it was completely heartwarming, Ladybug secretly hoped that she wouldn't actually need Rena Rouge to help her anytime soon. Because that would mean she would need her help fighting Chat Noveau. Something she still wasn't ready to think about. Soon isn't a good word, Trixx.

"For you," Alya said, reverently handing her the necklace, Trixx no longer visible. "But if you find Chat and want to try again, you'll know where I'll be."

"Of course, Alya."

Alya winked and jogged away toward her apartment. She'd only been gone a few seconds before Master Fu materialized out of nowhere. Ladybug handed him Trixx's necklace automatically, not wanting to have the responsibility of it for long. Fu took it back with both hands, watching Alya go.

"She is a good choice, Ladybug," he said. He'd said it before, but this was the first time he'd ever seen Alya as Rena. "Obviously, Trixx agrees. A very observant, trustworthy girl."

"She's the best," Ladybug agreed. After Chat, she added in her head. "Now what do we do? That was kind of my only plan."

"We made better progress than you think," Master Fu said cryptically. "Which is why I must leave you."

"What?" Ladybug said, thrown off.

"Valerie may not have come here, but I think I know where she's going, thanks to your idea. If things don't go the way I expect, I will contact you again."

"Oh, okay?" She hoped this didn't mean she would have to make another delivery at seven in the morning tomorrow. "Couldn't I come help you?" She really felt like she should help this time. It felt wrong to not be active in this scenario. Chat was her partner. Leaving now, changing back, going home, felt like she wasn't doing enough. Like she was failing him.

"Be ready," Master Fu said, which didn't mean anything. Ready for what? "I will see you soon." He nodded to her, calm and mysterious and infuriating, leaving her alone in the snow.

She pursed her lips, her arms folded, her foot tapping with all the energy she'd cultivated for when Chat Noveau showed up that was still pent up inside her. She knew that Master Fu intended for her to go back home and wait for some sign or message from him, but she really didn't want to. What if she were to make a quick lap around Paris, perhaps up a few tall buildings, just to scout a bit? Then she'd go home. Pulling her yo-yo string onto her finger, she tossed it up a light post and let it pull her up above the skyline, trying to feel like she wasn't so useless.

BB

Adrien didn't make it to the courtyard in time to see Chat Noveau drop from the fire escape, but he arrived in time to see the door close behind her. Stealth, the Guardian told him. That would work getting him up to the door, but then what? Should he knock? Pretend he was simply looking for Valerie to continue the conversation they'd had last night? That seemed so long ago now. His heart beat hard in anger, making him wince. He'd defended her to Gabriel; he'd almost pushed his father to violence over it. Now he'd discovered that she'd been lying to him. Maybe Gabriel was right about her after all.

Using the same tactics he'd employed getting out of his house, Adrien slipped up to the apartment, crouching then kneeling under the window, his hand on the dusty brick of the wall, concentrating very hard on his breathing. He had to decide now what his plan would be. Had she transformed back in there? Or if he burst in, would he be face to face with Chat Noveau?

His free hand covered his mouth, pressing hard. How? How could she be Chat Noveau? He didn't want it to be true. She'd been so kind to him. She had saved his life, saved Plagg. She loved his mother. He thought she cared for him too, but now he just felt betrayed. And the things she had said to Ladybug; the things she had done with Plagg's power. But then he remembered how she came to have Plagg to begin with, and he stood up, knocking on the door. He'd give her one last chance to make the right choice. Everyone should have that, no matter what they've done.

"Valerie?" He called through the wood. "It's me. Adrien."

The pause after his words stretched out interminably. He shifted his weight, backward, then forward, touching the handle of the door but not twisting it. Should he force his way in? Was there another way out? Had she already run from him? The handle turned without any pressure on his part, the door pulling inward slightly.

"I'm sorry, Adrien," Valerie said through the crack, her voice broken with pain, hidden behind the door. "I'm afraid I don't have time for a visit today." Adrien wondered how he could be angry and worried at the same time.

"What's wrong?" Adrien asked her, keeping his hand on the door, unconsciously tensing his arm against the moment where she would try to shut him out. He couldn't let her do that. "Your voice is different. Are you all right? Can I come in?" Another hesitation. She obviously didn't want him there, but she didn't want him to continue to talk to her through the door, standing so conspicuously outside either.

"Valerie, please?" He pushed, just a little, and felt her push back, not much, just enough that he knew she was blocking him. It would be so easy to shove her backward, but he didn't want to do that to her. "I had a dream about you last night," he said, leaning on the door, resting his forehead against it. He hadn't meant to ever tell anyone what he'd seen in his nightmare, and there were some parts he didn't want to repeat, but now it felt like the right thing to say. "You were running away from me, somewhere dark and scary. I knew if I didn't catch you I wouldn't ever see you again. But I had your cane and you were going so far." The pressure on her side of the door lessened, and he jumped on her hesitation. "I'm coming in," he told her.

He felt her move away, not exactly an invitation, but not preventing him entering either. He went forward slowly, not sure what he would find on the other side. Adrien scanned the apartment quickly as he took the last step over her threshold. Even though he knew he'd been here before, he couldn't really remember it. There was a cushion on the floor by the fireplace, a platter of cheese on the table next to piles of maps of the city. One had Xs and tiny notes all over it, another had large sections blacked out with marker, a circle around an address with a question mark. Nothing would have seemed that strange to Adrien if he'd seen it yesterday, nothing would have stood out. But today, all he saw were evidences that Plagg was here, or had been. But where was he now? Certainly, he would have come to Adrien if he could?

But no, he couldn't. Valerie was not wearing the ring. Maybe the Guardian was wrong? Maybe she didn't have it. Or maybe she'd left it somewhere, out of reach. He looked into her face and immediately put a hand over his mouth, trying to hide his surprise at how horrifying she appeared. At first he thought he might be hallucinating, the images from his dream projecting onto her like with his mother's photos this morning. So he looked away, rubbing at his eyes, shaking his head as if it would clear it. But she remained unchanged when he looked at her again, standing by her table as if he'd caught her looking over the maps. Her hair was down, the strands on her left matted and sticky from the blood that was running from her blind eye. The entire scar looked red and angry, more like a new injury than an old one. Blood covered her uniform apron in splotches and there were streaks of it on her sleeve. She stood with her good hand gripping tightly to her chair, her posture curled toward her broken side. So much worse than yesterday.

"What happened to you?" He couldn't help but ask, though even as he said it, he knew what it was. Using Plagg's power was breaking her, like an addiction.

"Don't be afraid, Adrien," she told him as their eyes met. But he was afraid, and she sounded afraid too. He wanted to go to her, touch her, remember that she was steady and sure, that she was calm and comforting. That she smelled like bleach and fresh sheets. Any anger he felt toward her was gone now, swallowed in fear and pity. He shook his head again.

"Let me help you." She broke their gaze but didn't move as he drew closer to her. She flinched when he took her by the arm, though she allowed him to take her over to her kitchen. She could hardly put any weight on her left leg at all. He braced her against the counter and wet a clean cloth, wiping her face for her, pulling away the strands of hair stuck to her cheek. As he gently dabbed at the scar, she reached up to curl her fingers around his wrist, her shoulders shaking as she tried not to cry. Was he hurting her? He swallowed, hard, wondering what he should say. "It's . . it's going to be all right," he assured, hoping it was the truth. For her, for him. Why was she continuing to use the Miraculous if this is what it was doing to her? It made no sense.

"Adrien," she whispered, and he bent to look her in the eye even though she obviously did not want to do that. "I need to . . ." He waited, willing for her to finish her sentence. Need to what, Valerie? Need to tell me that you've got my Miraculous? That you thought you were doing something good, but now you realize that it was a huge mistake and it's killing you and you're sorry? Or was she going to tell him that she needed to leave? That she wanted him to go? He couldn't tell by her face, her posture. Come on, Valerie, he begged, his hands on either side of her face. Just tell me the truth.

The door opened, suddenly, shattering the moment. Valerie jerked from his hands, straightening as much as she could to face the Guardian as he entered her apartment. "Well done, Adrien," he said, making Adrien feel inexplicably guilty, as if he'd betrayed Valerie somehow, as if he'd trapped her. There was a hard edge to her expression as she glanced at him, a coldness that wasn't there before.

"Valerie," the old man went on. "This has gone on long enough. Return the Miraculous, as you promised."

Adrien felt her tense and copied her though he didn't know what she meant to do. She could barely move. Was she going to try and run again? Fight them?

"I need it," she said simply, quietly, making Adrien's heart sink. Up until she'd spoken, he'd held on to a tiny hope that maybe she didn't actually have it. She shifted her hand, just slightly, but apparently even that action was taken as some sort of threat. The Guardian darted across the room, so fast, taking Valerie's wrist and buckling her weak leg out from under her, unwilling to take another chance that she would get away from him and they'd have to start the search over. The motion was shockingly gentle; she went down supported and silent, landing in a small miserable heap on her kitchen floor, helpless and guarded. Adrien almost took a step backward, unsure who he should be helping.

"Look at yourself," the Guardian demanded, not unkindly, bending over her, closing in on her. "You've already had it too long."

Adrien went to his knees too, taking Valerie by the shoulders, pulling himself close to her. She was almost completely limp under his hands. Even though it was his Miraculous she had stolen, even though the Guardian wasn't actually hurting her, he couldn't stand watching this without trying to comfort her.

"Don't hurt her," he told the Chinese man, who looked at him curiously. Adrien knew that he had no intention of hurting her, but he wondered what would happen if Valerie didn't cooperate. "Valerie," he said, close to her ear. She didn't respond. "Listen. I understand, ok? But we are going to get your kwami back for you. Ladybug and me. I promise."

"Don't," she said, her voice still hard despite her position, still a warrior, though a broken one. He remembered. She didn't like it when he made promises.

"Her pocket, Adrien," the Guardian instructed him, standing ready. Adrien looked at the apron, remembering Nathalie from this morning. Valerie stiffened as he slipped his hand into the opening, her fingers jerking over his as if she were still trying to stop him from taking the ring back. As if she couldn't help herself from doing it. His heart ached for her. She must have hurried to take off the ring, putting it into the closest safe place she had when he knocked on the door, knowing if she didn't do it in an instant that Plagg would have revealed her, maybe knowing it was too late anyway. Maybe that's why she let him in? It felt wrong, even as he closed his hand around his ring, pulling it out from its hiding place. His Miraculous. In his hand. He didn't know he would feel so awful about getting it back.

"Please," Valerie said, grabbing Adrien's wrist. He pulled free, standing up, but looked her in the eye. There was a desperation there, wild and awful. Tears and blood wetting her face, a look that would haunt him.

"Take it and go, Adrien," the man said, still soft despite how he was obviously in charge here.

"But-" Adrien protested. He couldn't leave her like this.

"I will take care of her," he assured.

"No," Valerie said suddenly, staring at the floor. "You didn't then. I don't want you to now."

"Valerie," Adrien began, reaching for her. She blocked his hand without looking.

"Go," she said. "Both of you. Leave me alone." Using the counter, she pulled herself upright, using all her energy to stand unaided in front of them. Adrien saw a glimpse of Chat Noveau in her stance, an echo of the power that she once had.

"Valerie," the Guardian said, unbelievably gentle. "Don't do this. Let me help you."

"I don't want your help," she almost screamed. "I wish you'd never seen me." She turned her half-blind, half-mad gaze to Adrien. "I certainly wish I'd never seen you." 

Adrien felt so hurt here that he almost went numb. He knew she didn't mean it. She couldn't mean it, right? He clutched the ring to his chest. He was almost ready to hand it to her if it meant that they could go back to how they used to be.

"We'll go," the old man said, taking Adrien by the elbow as if he sensed what he was thinking. "For now. But I will not give up on you, Valerie. With a Miraculous or without, you are important to me."

She didn't answer, just glared, pride set hard in her jawline. Adrien had to be pushed outside.

"Keep Plagg safe," the Guardian instructed. "Be careful with him." He couldn't answer, but he thought he nodded a little. Inside, he could hear Valerie sobbing. How could they leave her, how could she want them to? "Go home, Adrien," he was commanded. "Quickly." He gave him one final push, forcing him to take two steps forward. He took another, stiff and wooden, the ring clenched tight in his fist. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to put it on. "Don't look back." He felt himself take another step, getting faster each time, until he was jogging. Until he was sprinting. She wished she had never seen him. He tried to run faster, his heart too tight to beat.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Wow, this was a HARD chapter to write. I Love Valerie. It's so hard to write her making bad choices, knowing that she knows they are bad for her. So. Hard. Also hard knowing what I'm going to do to her.**

 **And, I've noticed just recently that I've written a novel without my favorite pairing of the love square. I adore Marichat. I think that they are as close to their real personalities as they can be in that pairing, and here I've deliberately kept myself from being able to write it. Sad.**

 **It's funny to me how I started this story, with my daughter's input, thinking that Valerie was going to be Adrien's mother figure – then it turned out to be Nathalie. Oh, dear Nathalie, just standing to the side being all awesome and we don't appreciate you enough. (I'm an assistant in real life – Nathalie strikes a deep chord in me.) Interesting turn that one.**

 **And finally, a thank you. Thank you so much for those of you who are still with me on this. Who continue to read and review every chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Waking up in the morning and finding a review. It's just the best. Please keep it up.**


	7. Chapter 7: Darkling

**Chapter Seven: Darkling**

"I'm not sure what you're looking for, Marinette," Tikki pondered, snuggled into her scarf. She wasn't actually sure either. All she knew was that she hadn't found it yet, which was why she was still out wandering Paris. As Ladybug, she'd swooped past the cathedral, up the Eiffel Tower, over the bridge, and finally touched down on her own balcony where she'd transformed and tried to do something else. She'd called Alya, who was busy with her family and couldn't take her call. She thought about calling Adrien but dismissed that so quickly she couldn't really count it as an actual suggestion. Her homework had lasted all of five minutes before she found herself slipping on her coat to head outside, this time to search Paris from the ground instead of the sky.

"I'm just moving, Tikki," she responded glumly. "Do you think Master Fu found her yet? Do you think our plan worked? What if he needs my help?" Do you think the next time I see Chat it will actually be Chat?

"There's no way to know," Tikki told her, making one more round in the same frustrated loop. She sighed, plunking herself down on a half-frozen bench at a bus stop. She'd been walking so long that her legs felt weird, almost so cold that they weren't hers anymore.

"I guess we'll just go back home then," she said, resigned. "And wait."

"It'll be warmer," Tikki said, looking for the bright side. But as she stood up, turning for her house, she noticed Adrien walking towards her. Well, not exactly towards her; his head was down, looking at nothing but the pavement in front of him, walking quickly, with intense, purposeful strides. His right hand was clenched in a fist at his chest, so tight it looked like he was trying to staunch a wound.

"Adrien?" Marinette drew his attention when he was close enough to hear her, stopping him so abruptly that he took a step backward. His hand didn't move from his chest. She felt all her nervous energy come to a sharp point.

"Oh, hi, Marinette," he greeted, out of breath, surprised to find her out walking. No, more than that. It seemed that he was surprised by everything now that he'd stopped, shocked that it was still daylight, that there were cars going back and forth down the street, surprised that his hand was held tightly against his body. He looked at it, curiously, long enough to make Marinette wonder if he might be hallucinating something. The cold had flushed his cheeks, but his eyes were sort of dull, not focusing much, moving around a lot. His bodyguard was nowhere in sight. "What's going on?" He asked, routinely, though it was clear that his mind was not with her here; he was not an active participant in his own question.

"Just out for a walk," Marinette said, trying to sound bright and not quite managing. "You?"

"Same." What was going on with him? For a second, they actually made eye contact. Marinette deciphered agony in his expression, not physical pain, but she could tell something had injured him. He must have seen something in her face too because he tilted his head, blinking. Not like he used to do where he looked at her like he was trying to recognize her – this felt more like he had seen maybe a little more than she wanted him to.

"Are you ok?" He asked her, making an effort to focus his concentration, making her confused. What did he mean? He was the one who looked like he'd lost his best friend. Like she had. Maybe they did look the same.

"That's what I was going to ask you," she countered. He shook his head, looking away, closing up. She folded her arms across her chest protectively. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, quickly. He looked like he might say something more, but instead he bit his lip, the lie covering him completely.

"Me too," she said, which made him smile. A sad, tiny smile, but it was there.

"Then you don't want to talk about it?" He invited, rubbing the back of his still closed fist across his eyes.

"Do you?" She asked, wondering if they were even still talking about the same thing here. She thought she might have dropped the thin thread of a conversation they were trying to have. All she knew was that he was hurt and trying to pretend he wasn't, just barely keeping it together. Just like she was doing, but so much worse. But she couldn't tell him what was going on with her, not unless she wanted to start by telling him she was Ladybug. She wondered why he thought he couldn't confide in her either. He looked at his hand again, making her frustration and worry over what might be going on with Master Fu and Valerie shrink to a small corner of her mind. Adrien was standing right in front of her, vulnerable and trusting her enough to let her see it even if he couldn't bring himself to talk about it. And at least he would let her help him.

"What if . . .we just . . . walked together and didn't talk about it?" She proposed and watched relief fill his face in a rush, tears brimming in his eyes. He nodded, as if he were no longer able to speak. "Your house?" She guessed that's where he was headed. He took a second to think about that, but then nodded one more time. She took a step forward and twisted so they were facing the same direction. "And while we're walking, if we decide that maybe we do want to talk . . ." she left the invitation open. She knew she wouldn't be taking that option, but she hoped he would. He rested his head on her shoulder momentarily in response, shaking it just slightly. She understood.

They'd taken about three steps before he reached over for her hand, his shaking a little as he laced their fingers together. His other hand, the one that seemed permanently fused into a fist, he tucked into his coat pocket. Marinette tried to relax into the contact, enjoy it without the heaviness that was following behind them. Her heart filled with concerned affection for him, almost to the point where it hurt, almost to where she thought she couldn't stand not telling him. What was he thinking over there? As they walked, every so often out of nowhere he would sort of gasp, like the start of a sob. Every time he did it, he would tuck his head against her shoulder for a second or two afterward, his next step pausing slightly as if he'd forgotten they were walking, his whole presence collapsing into whatever had struck him. It was like watching him get beaten up by some invisible bully. It took everything Marinette had to not ask him what was going on, to just keep her eyes on the street ahead of her, to pretend that any part of what they were doing was normal.

She kept trying to think of something to say, but nothing was coming to her. She didn't want to talk about her early morning delivery to the massage parlor, her failed trap idea, the fact that she kept getting told to wait instead of actively help and how it was driving her crazy, not even how much she cared about the boy walking next to her and wanted him to be ok.

And that's how they walked all the way to Adrien's house in almost complete silence. Marinette stopped before he did, as if he hadn't noticed where he was. He looked at her questioningly, taking another half step as he realized why she wasn't moving anymore. He looked up at the tall main gates of the mansion like he'd never actually seen it from this side before.

"Thank you," Marinette told him, still holding his hand. "For the walk."

"My pleasure," Adrien murmured, keeping pressure on her fingers even though his focus was somewhere on the second floor of his house.

"I hope whatever it is that's bothering you gets better soon." He crumpled, making her wish she hadn't said that. "Sorry! Still not talking about it. But if you think you might want to . . . you can call me, ok?" She let go of his hand, immediately missing the contact. "I'll see you later," she hoped out loud. "Tomorrow, right?" When he didn't answer, she turned to leave, feeling awkward.

"Marinette!" He caught her by the wrist, forcing her still, then wrapped himself around her, hugging her tight and putting his mouth close to her ear. "I'm so sorry," he told her. She felt her heart catch a bit and hugged him tighter. "I . . . everything's messed up, and I don't know how to fix it. I think it's going to get better, maybe, but I don't know how long it's going to take, and this isn't how I want us to be . . . because you . . . you are the best part of my life right now and I know I'm not . . . and you're so . . . please just wait for me."

She cupped one hand at the base of his head, not sure she could say anything after what he'd just told her. The only time she'd ever heard him talk like this it wasn't to her, it was to Ladybug. What did he mean how he wanted them to be? And did he just say she was the best part of his life? What was she supposed to answer? She tried opening her mouth, hoping that something inspiring would pop into her head any second now.

"Adrien!"

They both jumped out of each other's arms, though Adrien kept hold of her wrist. Marinette looked past him to where Gabriel's assistant, the one who came to pick Adrien up at school yesterday, was striding intimidatingly across the front courtyard toward the main gate. Adrien's face had scrunched up in guilt, and Marinette guessed that he'd likely slipped out of his house without permission.

"Come inside, please," the woman continued, her eyes flashing with worry and anger. Marinette felt sorry for both of them. "Immediately." Adrien nodded without turning around, giving Marinette one last look, one of pleading.

"I'll see you soon," he told her, edging his words as if she was supposed to find some hidden meaning in them. Then he kissed her, quickly, just at the corner of her mouth, before releasing her to turn toward his gate. Marinette watched him go, noticing how gently the woman put her arm around his shoulders to escort him inside, noticing how Adrien leaned in to her, feeling better about leaving now that she could see that if he was in trouble it wouldn't be all that bad for him. She didn't move until after the big double doors closed behind them, starting by taking a huge breath.

"Were you holding your breath that whole time?" Tikki asked good naturedly, still curled up in the folds of her scarf.

"Probably?" Marinette answered, feeling light headed but not from not breathing. "Did you hear him?"

"Every word. I didn't hear you answer him, though."

"I couldn't! I couldn't think of what to say and then we got interrupted. What should I have told him?" She started walking away, towards her street. There wasn't much else she could do now.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe that yes, of course you'll wait for him?" Tikki sounded like it should have been so obvious.

"No, I'm sick of waiting," Marinette said, almost clenching her teeth. "That's all anybody ever tells me anymore. Besides, I don't have to wait for things to be perfect to enjoy spending time with him. I mean, if I waited for everything to be perfect, I'd miss out on a lot of really wonderful, less-than-perfect things, you know? Like just now – totally not perfect. We walked, what, six blocks in total awkward silence where I think we both wanted to help each other, but really couldn't . . . but then he kissed me! See?"

"I see. I'm just glad you're starting to."

"Thanks for being patient with me, Tikki."

"That's what being friends is all about, Marinette."

BB

Adrien had suspected he wouldn't have as good of luck sneaking back into his house as out of it. He hadn't thought much about the coming back part when he left; it had seemed so important to make sure Ladybug was all right. He supposed that it could have been worse. It could have been his father instead of Nathalie who'd discovered him. She'd mentioned that to him already, before they'd even taken a step into the house, how lucky he was that Gabriel was still in a conference with Milan deciding which pieces he'd be sending for their Valentine's show next month.

"Adrien, stop," Nathalie said, holding tight to his shoulder as he started up the stairs. He'd only been half listening to her, most of his attention was split between hearing Valerie sobbing behind the closed door of her apartment, the soft warmth of Marinette in his arms, and feeling his Miraculous ring in his coat pocket. "We need to figure this out." She pulled him around to face her, both her hands on his shoulders now. He looked into her eyes, knowing that he deserved whatever lecture she wanted to give him. He had left without permission. He hadn't told anyone where he was going. Severely broken rules.

Nathalie softened as she studied him, closing her eyes, breathing out in a frustrated little gasp. "How am I supposed to punish you when you already look so miserable?" She asked him. He raised an eyebrow. There was no way he could help his case by answering that. "Come on; I've got lunch waiting for you." He quailed. Food did not sound all that great to him right now. All he wanted was to get upstairs and apologize to Plagg.

"Do I have –"

"Yes, you do have to eat," Nathalie cut him off, exasperated. "At least a little. I don't want to repeat this morning, do you?"

"No," he said, remembering how awful he'd felt, how much it hurt to throw up nothing.

"I had the chef make you something light," she promised. "Let me take your coat." She was already slipping it from his shoulders with practiced grace. He hunched it back on, sort of roughly, making her pull back in pained surprise. "Adrien, what in the world?"

"I just," he rummaged in the right pocket, closing his fingers around his Miraculous, transferring it as quickly as possible to his jeans since he'd failed so completely at being nonchalant about it. "Can't lose this," he said, removing the coat on his own now and handing it to her. She looked completely at a loss, her lips a thin line.

"Go on in," she instructed as she moved away from him to hang up his coat. She was quick about it; he'd only just sat down before she joined him again, surprising him by sitting next to him. Normally, she stood at attention just out of his line of sight.

"Adrien," she paused, trying to choose her words carefully. He tried to swallow a spoonful of soup. "I know there have been a lot of changes here recently, and I know you're struggling. I see how hard you work pretending everything's the way it was, but I also see all the ways it's hurting you to do that." He put down his spoon. "No, keep eating, please. Just listen. I want to help you, I really do, but you just can't leave without telling me where you're going. Do you know how scared I was when I went back to check on you and you were just gone? When I left, you couldn't even stand up on your own, then suddenly you're missing completely. It was like Christmas Eve all over again. And during an akuma attack! What if something happened to you? What if your father found out? I'm responsible for you, Adrien. I could lose my job over something like this."

Now he really did have to stop eating. He hadn't even thought of that. It had never crossed his mind that Gabriel might take his disappearance out on Nathalie, that she would get blamed for him sneaking out.

"Where did you go? What was so important that you had to leave and such a secret you couldn't ask first?"

"Are you going to tell my father?" He asked, the soup he'd managed to get down already turning into a weird, cold lump in his stomach.

"That depends entirely on what you say." Somehow Adrien knew that this was Nathalie's way of begging him to tell the truth. He also knew that she would know if he didn't.

"I went to see Valerie," he confessed, giving only part of the answer. Nathalie sat back a little, folding her hands in her lap.

"Who is this person?" Nathalie asked. "Why does she keep coming up?"

"She's the one who found me at Christmas," Adrien responded, barely remembering that, though he figured that would be Nathalie's only reference point for her, if she had any at all. It was such a long time ago. They'd been different people then. Nathalie nodded, understanding. "She was Mom's best friend." And he left her bleeding on her kitchen floor. "I wanted to check on her. I wanted to learn more about Mom."

"Adrien, your father –"

"I know. It doesn't matter. She doesn't want me to visit her anymore." He bit his lips; he was really tired of crying. He felt his thumb pressed in that familiar spot on his wrist, right in the center of the small bruise from all the times he'd used this trick before.

"She knows how Gabriel feels about her. From what I've seen, she's a sweet, smart woman. If she sent you away, it's probably because she doesn't want you to get into trouble." Adrien stared hard at the white tablecloth, seeing patches of blood on it, little Xs on a map. "You know," Nathalie sighed, setting her hands over his, pulling them apart and rubbing her thumbs over the tops of his knuckles. "I was your mother's friend too. You could ask me." He nodded, even though that was something else that he hadn't thought of. Nathalie was only a few years younger than Emilie.

"I used to do her hair," Nathalie went on, trying to catch Adrien's eye even though he was very pointedly not looking at her. "When your dad would take her to those fancy parties. I'd pile it all up in twists and we would count all the pins and joke about how she always left a lipstick print on your head when she kissed you good-bye. And when your father would go somewhere, she and I would watch the most ridiculous movies after you went to bed and sometimes she would lend me her clothes if I had a date I really wanted to impress. I told her everything." There was a slight catch to the end of Nathalie's sentence. "I miss her, too."

Adrien slipped out of his chair so he could put his arms around Nathalie. She startled but didn't move away, though she only allowed him to hug her for a few seconds.

"Here," she said, pulling him off and setting him back into his chair. "Can you eat a little more for me?"

"I really don't think I can," he told her sincerely. She looked a little disappointed about that, but not enough that she was going to push him.

"So what now?" She asked, giving him the opening he'd been waiting for.

"Can I go to my room?"

"Are you going to stay there?" She tested him. He nodded.

"Go on then. But Adrien?" He turned back from where he was already halfway to the door. "I hope you know you can trust me." He couldn't answer that one. Sometimes, he would just have to keep secrets from her. Sometimes, he would just have to disappear.

He left her in the dining room, shooting up the stairs and closing his door behind him. The ring felt heavy in his palm as he drew it from his pocket, and he was suddenly aware of how many windows there were in his bedroom. It made him step into the bathroom, pushing the lock and sliding down the door to sit cross legged on the tile. For a few minutes, he sat there looking at the Miraculous, wondering what he was going to say to Plagg when he saw him again. Would he be angry with Adrien for losing him? Did he really deserve to have him back? He noticed his breathing speeding up and knocked the back of his head against the door a couple times as if that would help him.

"Come on," he told himself, pushing the ring into its normal place on his right hand and then bringing it in front of his eyes to block them from the blinding flash of green light as Plagg materialized in front of him. The tiny spirit of destruction had his eyes closed when he appeared, his head drooping. It bothered Adrien. Was there something wrong with him?

"Plagg?" He said, bringing both hands up around the kwami, making a little nest for him out of his palms. Hearing Adrien say his name jerked him into action. He opened huge, green eyes, his mouth dropping in shock before splitting into a wide grin.

"Adrien!" That was the last Adrien kept him in focus as he zipped all around him, a tiny streak of black rustling through his hair, ducking into and out of his jacket, nuzzling (licking?) his cheek, pushing his little paws against his chest, vocalizing repeated joyous squeaks of, "It's you! Finally! Adrien!"

As quick as he started, he immediately skidded to a stop midair right in front of Adrien's face, his whole demeanor sobering in an instant. "What happened to Valerie?" He asked. Adrien felt his smile fade too. He looked away.

"Oh, Adrien," Plagg said before he could answer. "What happened to _you_?" Adrien heard himself make that same gasping, not-quite-sobbing sound that he'd tried to keep in check while he walked home with Marinette. He pushed his shoulder blades against the door, digging into the wood like he could disappear into it. The noise distressed Plagg, who began another inspection of Adrien, slower this time, listening to his heart, placing a paw against his temple, keeping quiet as Adrien tried to get it together enough to talk to him.

"I'm so sorry, Plagg," Adrien croaked out. His kwami looked at him, hard, with the sort of stillness that only wild animals can have. He made no reassurances. He did not dismiss Adrien's words.

"I know," he said after a long pause. "And I forgive you." Adrien felt something release suddenly in his back, a tension he didn't know he'd been holding until just this second. The idea coming to him that now they could move forward. He knew that it was still going to be hard, but at least they could work together. He began talking then, telling Plagg what had happened to him since they'd been separated. How he thought he wasn't supposed to be Chat Noir anymore, what he now knew about Ladybug, what Valerie had told him about her and Emilie's past and their visits in the hotel laundry.

"Where were you?" Adrien asked when he reached that point. "I never saw you or the Miraculous."

"Valerie kept me in her locker, like you do when you're fencing," Plagg answered, shaking his head. "I never knew you were there."

"She . . . lied to me," Adrien said quietly, feeling the cut of betrayal along his heart.

"Ok, my turn," Plagg began, rather quickly, turning Adrien's attention. "You need to understand about Valerie. We went to the hospital that same night. She was so worried about you, about us. No one knows better than she does what it's like to be separated. But when we got there, you were unconscious. You were in really bad shape, Adrien. She might have left me anyway, but then your father came and threw us out."

"I don't remember," Adrien said, not quite defensive, but not far off.

"Of course you don't remember. Shush. We had to leave you, but after you came home, Valerie brought me to your house many times to try and return the ring, but you know what it's like trying to get in here without an invitation. Your dad had Valerie blacklisted before you were ever born; Nathalie kept turning her away. We couldn't get to you. And then the first akuma appeared. Ladybug was fighting alone; we were watching her struggle."

"So Valerie decided to become Chat," Adrien guessed, bitterly.

"No, Adrien. I made her do it. She didn't want to. It was me. I knew you'd want Ladybug kept safe, so I talked her into transforming. It was a mistake, but at the time I didn't know what it would do to her."

"What did it do to her?" Adrien asked, remembering her injuries, her violence, so different from the kind woman who had led him to her apartment on Christmas Eve.

"What didn't it do to her," Plagg responded vaguely, but he gave himself a little shake to explain better. "Understand that I only meant for her to transform once, just that one time to help Ladybug. I wasn't exactly sure that her body could handle it, but it was an emergency, so we took the risk. After we'd finished, she seemed perfectly fine, physically. She was, well, excited. It was the first time in years that she had moved without pain, that she had run, that she had used her training for an actual fight. What would you do if you suddenly had those things back again?"

"Everything I could to keep it," Adrien said, honestly. He knew only too well how tempting it was to use the Miraculous to drown out pain. How that had started all this mess in the first place.

"Exactly," Plagg agreed. "And it made her remember just how much she missed being a Chosen. Having me with her gave her an opportunity she didn't have before, a chance to find Hawkmoth and rescue her kwami. She thought she could help you at the same time. It seemed like a really good idea. She would take back her Miraculous; there would be no more Hawkmoth, and you would be safe. Then when she had her kwami back, she would return me to you. I gave her a week for her plan. I didn't know how it was changing her, and once I could see it, she was already out of control. She's hurt, Adrien, which actually made it harder for her to stop. I'm not sure if you can understand that."

"No," Adrien said. "I get it." He'd done the exact same thing. "Did she hurt you? She was pretty ruthless as Chat."

"She never hurt me - I hurt her . . . what do you mean, ruthless? Show me."

They spent a few minutes with Adrien's phone, finally allowing Plagg to see first-hand exactly what Valerie was like when she used his power, bringing up all the footage for the different fights since Christmas. Watching them like that, one after the other, made Valerie's descent into darkness, into obsession, shockingly clear. How she went from being rather bemused and simply supportive in the first fight to dominating and intense in the last. It made Adrien so sad.

"She could tell she was out of time," Plagg said as the final video ended with both Chat and Adrien dashing off camera. "I never should have made her. I knew she was too angry." He paused, regretting. "What happened after this? How did you take me from her?"

Adrien's description of how he found Valerie in her apartment with the maps, how Master Fu had put her on the floor, disturbed Plagg intensely. He fidgeted in the air, his eyes narrowed and sad, his little whiskers and tail limp. By the time Adrien finished explaining how she had kicked them out of her house, how they had left her crying and alone, they were both shaking.

"He left her?" Plagg kept repeating.

"She wanted us to," Adrien defended, weakly, wiping tears from his eyes. It sounded so dumb to say it out loud. What could she have done against them, really? What protest could she have made if they'd simply forced her onto her couch or to the hospital? Wouldn't she have calmed under their hands? Couldn't they have tried harder to reach her? "We abandoned her," he realized out loud. And it wasn't the first time, he reminded himself silently. He tried to breathe, not being able to see past his last memory of Valerie. He could still hear her. She'd needed their help and they just left. What had he done?

"Calm down, Adrien," Plagg encouraged, but Adrien could already tell he was past the point of return. He was actually surprised he'd kept the anxiety at bay this long. It had been threatening him all day, too much had happened, too many emotions beating him from all sides, finally crashing over him now, a pent-up wave. "What are you doing to your wrist? What is this? What's going on?"

Adrien couldn't answer yet. He went down to one side, curling inward on the floor, pushing, pushing hard into his wrist with no effect, breathing shallow enough it was making him dizzy. It had been a while since it had been this bad. Valerie's eye was dripping blood down her face. He squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't help.

"Adrien, why are you breathing like that?" Plagg whimpered near his ear. He heard his phone clicking. He felt like he was going to be sick again. It took an enormous amount of effort to shift himself over the floor, Plagg just one of the many black dots at the edges of his vision. Nathalie would be so disappointed to learn that he hadn't managed to keep his lunch down after all.

"Adrien? Adrien!" There she was. On the other side of the locked bathroom door. She was knocking, jiggling the handle. He spit something disgusting into his toilet, unable to move, his chest punching in and out as he tried to breathe. There was a pop of the lock being released and the whoosh of Plagg darting into his normal hiding place against Adrien's heart, a sudden warmth and trembling that shivered out of rhythm with the rest of his body.

Nathalie's hands on him were sure and welcoming. For the second time that day, she was rescuing him. She smoothed his hair back away from his face, allowing him to fall into her when he was done, reaching up awkwardly to snag a towel off his sink to wipe his face with. He knew she was talking to him, but it was the cadence of her voice more than what she actually said that steadied him in the end. Plagg massaged his chest over his heart, slow and even, as Nathalie held him tight and secure. He thought he saw Gabriel standing at the door for a few moments, thought he heard Nathalie talk to him, but he disappeared so fast that he wasn't sure it was real. He closed his eyes, thinking desperately about anything that wasn't Valerie, replacing her ruined face in his mind with Emilie's, then Marinette's.

"It's almost over," Nathalie told him. He thought of Marinette, the pressure of her hand in his, the tilt of her head as she smiled encouragingly at him. Slowly, his muscles relaxed, leaving him limp in Nathalie's arms; Plagg a comforting weight on his pulse.

"Thank you," Adrien murmured into Nathalie's blazer. She traced his eyebrow with her finger, rocking him just slightly. He reached up to wipe tears off her cheek at the same moment she lifted her head to acknowledge Gabriel coming to kneel with them. Adrien turned his face toward Nathalie.

"Dad, I'm sorry," he said. "For this morning. For what I said." Gabriel didn't respond, but he took Adrien from Nathalie, lifting him off the floor with astonishing ease, carrying him to his bed and lying him down comfortably. His pillow felt so good under his head.

BB

Gabriel Agreste was a man used to having things a certain way at all times. People behaved in fixed patterns. Colors complimented each other in particular ratios. Routines made for peace and order, and he always had the resources available to him to ensure that the lifestyle he had grown up in remained for the most part unchanged. There were certain exceptions, like stains in a fabric, for which he lacked proper coping mechanisms. Adrien's agonizing recovery was one of them.

He sat at the edge of his son's bed, resting a hand on his forehead, keeping visibly calm against the turmoil Adrien's illness caused him. The one thing that he fought to keep perfect, his family, fraying and ripped in places. And there was nothing he could do to fix it.

When Emilie disappeared, he didn't think anything could be worse. The first few days of her absence replayed constantly in his nightmares. The worried agony when she didn't come home on time. The fury at the police during the hours they had considered him a suspect after he'd called to report her missing. He and his lawyer sitting at the station, unable to see Adrien, frightened that he could be taken from him while it was decided whether or not he'd done something horrible to his wife. Emilie had left no note, but she had left behind enough evidence to remove suspicion from her husband. Gabriel was allowed to go home, at two in the morning, and walked into his bedroom only to find Nathalie there crying, surrounded by the contents of Emilie's drawers and closet.

"They made such a mess," she'd said, speaking of the police search team, so upset she'd forgotten how he liked her to speak to him. "I don't know what they were looking for. I watched them the entire time; nothing was taken." As she talked, she was moving. Tucking Emilie's things back where she'd always kept them, her hands moving deft and sure, replacing dresses on hangers, returning the contents into purses. She was so familiar with all of it, like she knew every article of clothing, every piece of jewelry, trying to put it all back as if she could find Emilie beneath the pile of her clothes the police had left on the bed. It disturbed Gabriel to watch her; he sent her out of the room, taking over the task of cleaning up himself.

Alone, worried, he slowly returned the satin gown he'd designed for Emilie to wear at their tenth wedding anniversary dinner, walking it reverently into her enormous closet. Numb, he placed it with the ones Nathalie had already put back, then found himself kneeling on the floor, surrounded by the ghostly shadows of his wife's things, the scent of her perfume lingering here. He felt empty, dead inside, confused as to what he should tell their son. Where had she gone? She'd been traveling so much lately. She said she wanted to make a documentary, write a book. She needed to research. He couldn't make much sense of what she told him, but he denied her nothing. She'd brought back a book on her last trip, a huge, heavy tome full of pictures. The words were a language neither of them understood, but the pictures were lovely, inspiring. She told him to keep it in the safe in his study, that it was one-of-a-kind, as unique as Gabriel himself.

Adrien was sleeping now, exhausted after the anxiety attack, after his disturbed night. Gabriel stroked his hair, seeing every imperfection in his once perfect child. The gauntness of his cheeks, the hollow under his eyes, the fading bruise on his hand and the new one on his wrist. How the color of his skin had turned just slightly from porcelain to pallor. He watched him breathe. What wouldn't he give to have Emilie here to help him through this. He hadn't even been able to stay in the same room with Adrien this morning, couldn't be there for him the way he should have been.

He looked to Nathalie, who stood at attention near the bed, waiting to assist. She was the only reason they were functioning at all, really, filling in those moments where Gabriel couldn't handle it. The many, many moments where he was at a loss of what he should do.

"Stay with him, please," he said to her, standing slowly. She nodded, taking his place on the bed, wrapping Adrien's hands with hers as if she were relieved to finally make contact with him again. Adrien had actually learned to say Nathalie's name before he'd learned the word Father. He exited the bedroom, heading for the atrium.

It had been in the closet that night where Gabriel had found the box, unearthed by the police. It had been opened roughly, the contents stirred carelessly by someone in a hurry to do something else, someone who didn't know what they were looking for or what they were looking at. He wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been on the floor. He wouldn't have paid attention, but Emilie had written "Valerie" on one of the flaps. He pulled it over, looking inside.

There wasn't much. A borrowed blouse that had never been returned. A book of English poetry. A wad of envelopes secured with a rubber band, letters received during separations. A photograph Gabriel himself had taken of them on Emilie's seventeenth birthday – Emilie and Valerie standing side by side, arms around each other's waists, heads touching, day and night. A dried flower, broken into brittle, crumbling pieces, scattering shredded petals. And an ornate black box the shape of an octagon, covered in scarlet Chinese scrollwork. A jewelry box, matching one that Emilie kept in the safe.

The fact that they both had one made him pull it up away from the rest of the memories his wife kept hidden of her old friend. He opened it, not too surprised to see that it contained the plain pearl butterfly brooch that Valerie constantly wore pinned over her heart, but completely unprepared for the flash of light that burst out and into his face.

"Nooroo," he called as he entered the shadowed atrium, white butterflies scattering at his approach.

"Master," the Butterfly kwami responded, fluttering timidly into sight.

It quickly became apparent to Gabriel that all of his wealth would not help him find his wife. The police force, in several countries, failed him one after the other. Trails went cold. Private detectives shook their heads. Gabriel followed every hint he could down darker and darker paths, each one ending in an insurmountable wall, until all that remained to him was a wish. He needed Nooroo to make it happen, though she would not be granting it for him. She had explained what was required – the earrings of Ladybug and Chat Noir's ring. After Adrien got sick, Gabriel's wish had changed slightly. He no longer wished only for Emilie's safe return. He wanted his entire family safe and whole again. He couldn't stand watching his son struggle to breathe. It tore him to pieces inside to listen to him scream in terror and pain in the night. He ached for the missing warmth of Emilie in his bed. And he hated, absolutely hated, that he was not in control. That even though he could hold Adrien tightly enough that it would calm him for a while, he could not heal him. Even though he loved his wife, it was not enough to bring her home.

"Dark wings rise," he commanded, spreading his arms to the sides, allowing Nooroo to cloak him into Hawkmoth. He closed his eyes, searching Paris without sight, looking for someone special, desperate to find a champion capable of retrieving the Miraculous he needed to save his family, return them to the way they were. Emotion filled him from every nook and crevice of the city, an almost overwhelming rush. But he wasn't looking for just anything. Not the petty jealousy of an employee whose project had been rejected for his coworker's. Not the sting of loneliness of the woman waiting for her lover to return her call. They weren't strong enough. From what he'd seen of Chat Noir in the last battle, he was going to have to look harder.

He allowed Nooroo's ability to stretch farther, straining to keep himself calm and empty so he could be drawn like a compass to the strongest, most negative emotion possible. He actually winced once he found it – bitter abandonment, the deepest loss, extreme painful shame. These wounds were old, he could tell. They'd been buried, but something had torn them to the surface again, raw and ragged. This person also had a wish to regain what they had lost. A butterfly landed on his outstretched palm allowing him to paint it black. He'd found a kindred spirit, emotions so close to his own that he was certain this would be the last time he would send out an akuma. This person was strong enough to match even the new viciousness of Chat Noir. He watched his creation fly purposefully out the skylight, resting his hands on his cane and waiting for it to find his final victim.

BB

Valerie remained lying on her kitchen floor, her head stuck in a small patch of drying blood. She studied her hand, curled and motionless in front of her face, the stumps of the missing fingers, the deformity. She looked at it like it belonged to someone else, like it was not a part of her. She'd cried until there was nothing left inside her. She felt gutted, an empty husk. She didn't know it was possible to lose everything important to her twice in a lifetime. And both times it had been entirely her fault.

The familiar twinge in her spirit forced her to sit up, painful and slow. It had been hours since she'd moved, all her muscles screamed at her not to. She braced herself with her right hand, the left covering the scar on her face. She didn't know she could still hurt like this. She looked out her window. Hawkmoth had sent out an akuma from whatever darkness he hid himself in. Would Adrien put out his claws and fight it? Was he strong enough yet? Or would Ladybug have to do this one on her own?

There was nothing in her to even be surprised when the dark butterfly forced itself under her door, the definitive proof that she was indeed the most pathetic person in Paris at present. The akuma hovered above her table, slow and languid, looking ready to tuck itself into her cane, turning her into Ladybug's newest threat. Hawkmoth meant to use her own powers against her.

"No, Darkling," Valerie said to the akuma, understanding more about what was going on here and how she was going to use it than Hawkmoth could ever guess. It paused, sinking and rising in miniature bursts of its wings. "No buttons, no thimbles, not this time. Come here, sweet." She extended her broken hand as she had to the very first of the butterflies she'd seen. This one obediently came to rest in her palm, and a link opened in her mind.

"Chat Noveau, I am Hawkmoth. I know what you've lost," Hawkmoth crooned inside her head, his voice dark and annoyingly confident. So she had been right after all. "And I can give it back to you. In exchange, I need you to help me retrieve something I've lost."

"You'll give me my powers back?" She asked him. He had called her Chat. Did he know that she had lost the black cat Miraculous? Did he have any idea who had it now?

"If you will bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous," he repeated. She found herself morbidly amused at the situation. He was still a silly boy. He had no idea what he was doing. He didn't understand his own ability. Didn't know how to use her powers.

"My powers for the Miraculous," she clarified, which he took for agreement. The akuma in her hand began to spark. "Let's do this the right way," she told it, pressing it against her chest, wincing as it burrowed into her heart, closing her eyes to focus on a memory. "You're mine now." She felt confusion from Hawkmoth as wings extended from her shoulders in a torrent of black and orange. Black gloves covered her hands as she reached around her waist for the leather whip she knew would be there. She tested the wings, allowing them to lift her from the floor onto her feet.

"What?" She heard Hawkmoth gasp inside her mind, and she smiled maliciously.

"Were you expecting someone else?" She asked him tauntingly. "I said _my_ powers. As for the Miraculous, I'm afraid the only one I'm interested in is yours. Or rather, mine."

"That's impossible!" He cried just as the connection to her was cut, a line going dead. Had the akuma rested in her cane or her clothes, it would be retreating now. But she had internalized it. There would be no way for Hawkmoth to remove what he had given her. She took a step toward her door, yelping in pain, almost falling over, discovering abruptly the difference between what the butterfly could give her and what a true Miraculous could. Her wounds were still there, inhibiting her movements. But she could still fly. Taking her cane, she limped to the courtyard where she had the room to launch herself into the sky. First, she would make a diversion for Ladybug to chase, and then . . . then she was going after Gabriel.

BB

Adrien woke up slowly, more comfortable than he'd been in a long time. There was a hand holding his, a small weight on his chest. That's right! Plagg was with him. He looked up. So was Nathalie.

"Hello, Adrien," she said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he replied, nodding to himself and sitting up. "Hungry?" She laughed, sounding relieved, handing him a full glass of water.

"Drink some of that," she instructed as she stood. "I'll bring you up some –"

"Not soup," Adrien interrupted.

" . . . thing that's not soup," she finished. "I won't be long."

She hadn't quite closed the door all the way behind her before Plagg was out and on his upturned knee, his face darker than usual.

"What?" Adrien asked him.

"What do you mean what?" Plagg returned, frustrated. "Don't you remember? You threw up? You couldn't breathe? Couldn't talk? I had to _text_ Nathalie to come save you and unlock the door so she could come in. Want to tell me what that's about?"

"That's kind of my life right now," Adrien wilted.

"I didn't know you were still sick," Plagg said quietly.

"I'm not sick," Adrien protested, current proof to the contrary. Plagg rubbed his paws over his face, exasperated. "I'm not," Adrien repeated. "Not like I was." Plagg stared at him, unconvinced. "The infection's gone," he explained. "But it did something to me." Why was he making him say this out loud? "Sometimes I see things that aren't really there. I have nightmares, panic attacks like what you saw. I get tired. Sometimes all my muscles cramp up and I can't move."

"Adrien," Plagg said pityingly.

"It's getting better," he said out of habit. Plagg sighed.

"You scared me," he admitted, his voice tiny and sad. I scare myself, thought Adrien, but didn't dare say it.

Then the siren began, a tiny scream miles away that circled outward, gaining in intensity, causing Adrien to freeze.

"Oh no," Plagg said, floating over to the window, trying to see if he could make anything out from here. Adrien skipped the window; he went to his computer, bringing up the news. Plagg came to sit on his shoulder. "It's her," Plagg guessed out loud. Together they listened to Nadja warn Paris about the newest akuma victim – Zephyr. A cell phone recording played showing how she'd attacked a movie theater, ripping her way through the viewers, placing her palms over their hearts in rapid succession, coming to rest in the air in front of the screen, the movie still projected across her wings. She looked over the crowd, all of them covering with their hands the place where she'd touched them, panting, staring at her, wondering what it was she'd just done.

"Riot," she said, clearly, coldly. They all stood up as one destructive unit that began tearing the theater apart. The cell phone fell to the floor, and it was unclear how Nadja had recovered the footage for her segment.

"Is that Valerie?" Adrien asked Plagg in horror.

"I knew this would happen," Plagg moaned. He seemed to get a grip on himself and then grabbed onto Adrien's ear. "Listen closely, Adrien, this is not like what we've done before. Hawkmoth screwed up doing this. Valerie is more powerful than you understand, especially this way. Hawkmoth basically just handed her the corrupted form of her superhero powers back, but she knows how to use them and he's not going to be able to take them from her. She's not like you and Ladybug, ok? She was trained extensively and for a much darker enemy. You saw a part of it in the last fight she did as Chat, but that's not even close to what she can do."

"What did she do?" Adrien asked. "Hypnotism? Mind control?"

"It's worse. She's turning hearts like reversing the direction of a magnet. As Zephyr, she used this power to bring out the good in people, help them realize their potential, help them recover from emotional trauma or see from someone else's perspective in order to compromise. She can permanently change people's emotions. It can be a good thing. It's meant to be a good thing. But just like everyone has good in them, everyone also has darkness. That's what she's after."

"So she basically just made an entire theater of akumatized people?" Adrien asked, trying to wrap his head around what Plagg was explaining.

"Except there is no akuma," Plagg replied, seriously. "It's just people at their blackest. She's not even controlling them anymore. There's nothing for Ladybug to purify. She won't be able to stop them."

The news cameras had switched to an outside view. The riot had flooded into the streets of Paris, overturning cars, smashing out windows. Police were just starting to come on scene, struggling to keep up with the sheer number of people participating in the mayhem. Zephyr was still there, above it all, watching with a sense of disconnected interest. Adrien watched her touch others, sometimes joining them to the riot already in progress, but not always. She touched a policeman and said the word Fear putting him immediately on the ground, cowering. She did a dozen other officers before anyone could even respond to what she was doing.

But she was stopped, the familiar yo-yo string wrapping tight around her wrist and keeping her fingers just out of reach of one of the last policemen. Ladybug leaped into the scene, and Adrien's heart jumped into his throat.

"Let's keep our hands to ourselves, shall we?" Ladybug said, brave and glorious.

"There you are," Zephyr said, shaking the string off and pulling a whip from around her waist, snaking it out so quickly that Adrien didn't even see it. Ladybug's yo-yo dropped into the middle of the crowd and she pulled her hand against her chest protectively. Adrien didn't realize he was standing hunched over his desk, his face inches from his computer screen. "Have fun getting that back," she taunted. "And purifying all the akumas I've just made here."

"What?" Adrien asked Plagg, confused. "You said there were no akumas."

"Ladybug doesn't know that," Plagg said. "Purifying akumas is all she knows, and that's what this looks like. That's her job, her stand-by. That's what she's going to try and do."

"She's smarter than that. She knows the best way is to purify the original akuma. The one with Valerie."

"She'll still have to get her yo-yo back first," Plagg pointed out.

"We have to help her," he said to Plagg.

"No," Plagg said quickly, making Adrien lash around to glare at him.

"She can't do this alone," he argued. "You just said –"

"You can't transform," Plagg maintained.

"I know what it looked like, but Plagg, I am fine."

"Valerie said she was fine too. Guess what. Not buying it. But that's not why I'm telling you not to. Pay attention and trust me. Valerie has no interest in Ladybug, or you. This is just her way of keeping Ladybug busy. Just watch, she's going to disappear in a minute. She's on her way here."

"Here?" Adrien almost yelled. "Why here?"

"Because she's still after her Miraculous . . . and she thinks your father has it. I'm hoping he does, actually, because we are going to need Nooroo to stop Valerie."

Adrien's legs gave out on him, plunking him back down into his computer chair. In his peripheral vision, he could still see Ladybug doing her best to get past the hordes of people on the ground, the ones currently looting a store, the ones in back pushing against the ones already inside, her yo-yo not even visible under their feet.

"That's . . . how could she think that? I know they didn't get along, but . . . Plagg, you have to let me transform. If she's coming here, I'll have to protect my dad and Nathalie."

"Adrien, if you have any chance at all of beating Valerie, I promise you it won't be as Chat Noir."

"That makes no sense." Ladybug yelled as she was grabbed by the mob, only barely tearing herself free and jumping clear, her eyes calculating her best options.

"Chat!" He heard her call for him. "Chat, I need you!"

"Plagg, please!" He heard his door opening, so he grabbed Plagg and darted into his bathroom again, locking himself in. "She needs Chat Noir. I need Chat Noir," he whispered desperately.

"Adrien?" Nathalie called, and he knew she was standing in the center of his room, probably holding a plate and wondering if he had disappeared again. He wondered if he should. All it would take was two little words and a leap out his bathroom window. "Adrien? Oh, please be here."

"You're the master of the Miraculous," Plagg told him. "If you want to transform, there's nothing I can do to stop you. If I could, I would have stopped Valerie. Nooroo would have stopped Hawkmoth. But we can't. You get to make the choice. I guess it comes down to how much you trust me."

"Adrien? How could you do this again?" Nathalie sounded frantic. In the distance, he could hear helicopters headed toward where Zephyr was flying over her mob, where Ladybug was trying to retrieve her lost weapon. He looked at Plagg and remembered the last time he'd asked him not to transform. How he hadn't listened. How it had created this whole situation.

"Hide," he said, opening his jacket a little for Plagg as he opened the door. Plagg cuddled close against his heart, patting him reassuringly. I trust you, he thought. I just wish I knew what your plan was.

"I'm here," he told a distraught Nathalie, who rushed him, putting a hand against his cheek.

"I thought you left," she confessed, trying to stop crying. "What were you doing? Were you sick again?"

"I'm fine," Adrien said, anything but fine. "Do you know where my dad is?" Nathalie looked at him strangely. He realized that he almost never asked this question.

"I'm not sure," she said. "He wasn't in his study when I checked."

"We need to find him," Adrien insisted, taking Nathalie by the hand and pulling her behind him. He took one last look at his computer screen on his way past. Ladybug was still there, working with the policemen who were left, trying to get the rioters under control. She hadn't found her yo-yo yet. Worse, Zephyr was nowhere to be seen.

"Adrien, what's this about," Nathalie said, following on his heels as he tore through the house, checking the rooms. They both froze when they heard an explosion of shattering glass somewhere above their heads. Nathalie grabbed Adrien, pulling him underneath her as she crouched over him protectively. But the break had been in the floor above them. The atrium.

"She's here," Adrien murmured, staring at the ceiling. I trust you, Plagg, he repeated in his head. But he had no idea what Adrien was supposed to do that Chat Noir couldn't do better.

 **Author's Note:**

 **First of all, THANK YOU for all the awesome reviews for the last chapter. I got to say, you all leave the most thoughtful reviews ever. I have to give a shout out to one of you in particular (the one who doesn't sign in so I can't message them and leaves super long, detailed reviews) – to you I say, wow, you really think about this story a lot, and it makes me so happy to read your speculations, seeing that you are picking up on all the nuances I'm trying to get down here. You're getting them all. Thanks, it's awesome.**

 **As for the story, this chapter got intense, eh? I can't tell you what an unexpected delight it was to finally write from Gabriel's point of view. He is so much better than I thought. I think my favorite part of this whole chapter was him walking in on Nathalie trying to put Emilie's stuff back. . can't explain it, but it was satisfying. And Valerie – I just want to scoop her up and cuddle her and hand her Nooroo and say, "here you go. Everything's going to be ok now."**

 **In the meantime, Plagg, dude, I would definitely like to know what your plan is too . . . because you are SERIOUSLY cheating me about Chat Noir. I had this great reunion all planned for him and Ladybug and you just killed it with the whole, 'Hey don't transform' thing. This better be good.**


	8. Chapter 8: Every Inch A Hero

**Author's Note – the prequel: I've never done this before, probably because I am a dark person who can put up with a lot in print, but I'm thinking that this chapter needs a Trigger Warning up here at the beginning. (Forgive me – I'm old, we never did this in the fanfiction days of yore, and I've never read a novel that had one in the preface, so if I'm using it inappropriately, please somebody say something, won't you?) There are frightening images in this chapter, and suggestions of past sexual assault. They are implied, not graphic, depictions, but I thought I'd let you know before you get down there in the battle zone.**

 **Unrelated author's note: Damn I love Nathalie. And Plagg. And Adrien. My little kittens.**

 **Chapter Eight: Every Inch A Hero**

"Nathalie, come on!" Adrien commanded, dragging her by his grip on her hand from where she stood frozen in shock, looking up at the ceiling. There was nothing there, yet, but judging from the sound, something had broken the skylight of the atrium. "I need to get something."

Completely overwhelmed, she allowed Adrien to pull her behind him, half tripping from the awkward way he was holding on to her and how he was shorter than she was, reminding her absurdly of when he was six and liked to do this exact thing when he was excited to show her something, never quite understanding how she couldn't move fast enough.

"But your father," she sputtered, her loyalty divided, though what they were going to do for Gabriel against something that could tear apart the thick, supposedly unbreakable, glass of the skylight was too high a challenge for her to get past.

"I know; I know!" Adrien growled, trying to go faster. He jerked her into his room, slamming the door behind him and letting her go. She stood precisely where he'd left her, holding her hands against her chest, looking at the food she'd brought to Adrien just a short time ago that he obviously wasn't going to eat. The assistant part of her, the one who cared too much about schedules and didn't handle it well when they were ruined, grumbled internally over this detail. It seemed easier than trying to process what was actually going on. What even happened? Why were they suddenly under attack? Why did Adrien seem to know so much about it?

"She uses a whip," Adrien was saying as he tore through his closet, loud enough for her to hear but apparently talking to himself. "Long-range weapon, so if we get her into an enclosed area, she won't have enough space to use it." Nathalie took a couple unsteady steps so she could see what Adrien was planning. Since she was already shocked at hearing him putting together a strategy for how to take down the monster that had broken into the house, it seemed somehow morbidly appropriate that he was standing in the center of the closet getting into his fencing gear.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, feeling as though her entire life had turned into some twisted dark comedy. He couldn't be thinking of fighting? No, out of the question. She couldn't allow him to do that even if he were completely recovered, which he wasn't. Two hours ago, he couldn't move off the floor.

"She's after Dad," Adrien stated, so simply, casually rolling one shoulder as if he were amazed that he'd have to explain this to her, as if it were so normal to him that he'd be standing between his father and a supervillain. "I have to go help him." He bent his head to secure the straps of his glove, grabbing a practice rapier and just as quickly discarding it. He started looking around, rather helplessly, until his gaze settled on the ornamental swords crossed on the wall above his bed, his face lighting up. They were for display, but like everything in the mansion, they were authentic. He couldn't be seriously considering using them as an actual weapon.

"No, Adrien, stop!" Nathalie shot at him, not believing what she was seeing. "Who do you think you are? Chat Noir?" Adrien stopped abruptly from where he'd leaped onto his bed and stretched up to retrieve the swords. He let out a high-pitched bark of a laugh. With one hand on the wall, he turned back to her, his eyes bright and frenzied, a disturbingly ironic smile on his face.

"Wouldn't that be _awesome_? I could just - OW!" He let go of the wall to put a hand at the back of his neck, wincing as if something had bitten him. Nathalie opened her mouth to protest again, but he recovered almost immediately and waved her off. Then he retreated three steps on his bed and raced forward, throwing all his momentum into it so he could jump. He actually managed to kick up against the wall, shoving one of the swords free from its display rack. He let it fall to the floor beside the bed while he crossed his arms in front of his chest and dropped back on to his mattress with such careless grace it absolutely could not have been the first time he'd ever done it. Nathalie realized her mouth was still open.

"Stay here," Adrien said to her, rolling off the bed into a crouch and picking up the sword.

"No, no, don't!" Nathalie returned, somehow managing to move enough to grab him by the arm as he darted past her. She almost had to dig her heels into the floor to get him to actually stop. "Adrien, wait!"

"There's no time," he panted, looking toward his door as if he were already on the other side of it, a completely different boy than the one she was used to dealing with.

"What do you think you can do?" She demanded. "This isn't a fencing match. There's real danger out there."

"I have to do something," he told her, somber, breathing fast. "It's my fault," he said to the floor. She didn't think she was meant to hear that. He softened slightly, eyes downcast, the sword tip lowering as something heavy overtook him. Nathalie relaxed her grip to match him, her spirit calming as Adrien seemed to be seeing the sense in staying hidden. But in the second she loosened her hand on his arm, he took off, astonishingly quick, sprinting out the door before she'd quite processed what he'd done.

"Adrien!" She yelled after him, though it was clear by now that he was definitely not going to listen to her. She turned in a helpless half circle, first one way, then the other, bouncing on her heels twice as she fought against herself on what to do. Everything in her was saying she should hide, make herself as small as possible, wait silently until this crisis was over. She might have been able to do that before Adrien had left the room to look for Gabriel, but she'd already tied too much of her soul to him to let him go alone. She'd taken care of him too long to leave him now. Steeling herself against the sheer stupidity of what she was about to do, she dashed down the hall after him.

Red and blue lights flickered through all the windows, slowing Nathalie momentarily to notice that there were police vehicles surrounding the house. The doorbell was ringing. The doorbell? But then she remembered that no one would be able to get into the main gate without someone opening it from the inside. Unless they were able to fly and break through the glass of the atrium, she thought darkly, horrified that this made her want to laugh. Switching her direction, she ducked into her office, punching the unlocking sequence for the front gate out on her command pad near her computer without even looking at it. The gate made an automated whirring sound as it drew inward, a light going from red to green on the pad, allowing the National Police force onto the grounds. A four-man unit, moving with their backs against each other and their nightsticks clutched at the ready, crossed the courtyard at a rapid pace. Nathalie hurried down the entryway steps and met them at the door.

"We tracked the akuma to this address," the squad leader informed her. "We have reason to believe it could be somewhere inside the house. Please evacuate the premises." What a great idea! For the second time in the past few minutes, Nathalie was tempted to run and save herself.

"I can't," she explained, to herself and the police. "Mr. Agreste and his son are still –"

"Nathalie! Go with them; get out of here!" Adrien yelled at her suddenly as he came running from the upper levels of the house, every inch a hero. Nathalie felt an unexpected burst of pride when she saw him so amazingly in control, especially when she spotted Gabriel running right behind him, looking stricken, his face almost gray. She strained to see if anything was following them, fearful, looking so hard that she startled when one of the officers took her gently by the upper arm, pulling her toward the front door.

"Come with us, Madame," he invited, his voice not quite as soothing or calm as he probably intended it. She allowed him to tug her step-by-step backward, but she could not tear her eyes away from Adrien at the top of the stairs. He'd grabbed his father by the sleeve now, helping him down closer to the door, to the exit, to safety. He still held the sword capably in his hand, no longer looking quite so silly or young as he did before in his room. He turned his head to glance behind them, and in that tiny second, Nathalie thought she saw something small and dark whip into his collar, but it happened too fast and made no sense for her to be sure or dwell on it long.

Gabriel stopped first, halfway down the stairs, falling backward as he arrested his momentum, his face twisting in terrified surprise. Adrien turned to face front and almost tripped on him, gazing down at his father worriedly before lifting his eyes and also automatically flinching backward.

"Nathalie, run!" He screamed at her. "Don't let her touch you!"

Without really registering that she was taking direction from the teenager that she had rocked to sleep as an infant, Nathalie bent forward at the waist and twisted her arm out of the officer's hand, racing toward the stairs, to Adrien. Prepared now to do whatever he told her, feeling somehow that he actually did know what he was doing. She'd just put her hand on the railing to help pull her up faster when there was a whooshing of cold air, as if from a gust of giant wings, and something large and black swooped through the doorway. The wind was so strong that everyone paused in what they were doing, Nathalie hiding her face in her crossed arms, her knees bending low to instinctively protect her core from whatever hurricane had just stormed into the entryway.

"Gabriel," a female voice said, high above where Nathalie cowered. The voice was familiar, but when she peeked up from behind her arms, she did not recognize the akumatized woman hovering above the stairs using enormous black and orange butterfly wings, clothed in orange-striped black leather, a whip curled around one hand, a cane held tightly in the other. Her face contorted by dark violence and a horrendous scar, the left eye pupil-less, blood red, staining that entire side of her features. Nathalie spared one quick glance toward the door where all four of the police squad stood motionless, hands pressed against their hearts as they too stared at the winged woman. She'd touched them all. "You can't run from me, Gabriel," she said, cold and merciless.

Gabriel didn't look like he could do much of anything at the moment, sprawled on the stairs, one arm flung up to clutch to the railing for balance's sake. Adrien stood guard in front of him, his stance tipped slightly due to the uneven terrain of the steps, his face also twisted, equal parts threat and pleading. Nathalie didn't understand. Why would this person be after Gabriel? Did they even know each other?

"Valerie," Adrien begged, lowering the sword, but only slightly. "You're making a mistake. He doesn't have it. Please, let us help you." Nathalie looked at the woman again after hearing Adrien call her name, recognizing her now as the same person who had saved him, who had visited him in the hospital. The one who had spoken to Gabriel differently than any other person she had ever seen. She felt stirrings of real terror begin at her knees, shivering up her spinal cord. She didn't know all their history, but from the interaction she'd seen between them at Christmas, it was very clear that they hated each other.

"Zephyr," the woman corrected Adrien, giving herself a new name to go along with her new powers. "And the only thing I need is my Miraculous." She turned toward the police squad, standing still and patient this whole time, waiting for her to tell them how to feel. "Devotion," she said to them, clearly, causing them to all drop their hands and stare at her, heads slightly tilted. "Take them," she directed.

Gabriel pulled himself upright, grabbing Adrien's shoulder as all four policemen raced menacingly forward, under Zephyr's control. Nathalie stood pinned to the stair landing, unsure which direction she should move, whether her panicked body would let her move at all. Adrien lunged out from under his father's hand, leaping bravely over the remaining steps to the floor, landing slightly awkwardly and going to one knee, as if he'd drastically underestimated the impact, taking several seconds to recover before straightening into defensive stance again.

"Get behind me, Nathalie," he commanded, though that was now impossible. He caught the squad leader's stick with the base of his sword as it came down for his head creating a chilling scraping sound when the different metals slid off each other, then pivoting around him, under his uplifted arms and landing a kick at the back of his knee that knocked him off balance but did not take him off his feet. Seeing his idea hadn't worked, Adrien improvised by grabbing the officer by his belt and slingshotting him backward, this time effectively taking down two at once by colliding them with the impact of the throw.

Nathalie continued to stand still, struck dumb and useless by her frightened awe of watching what was happening, though it became increasingly noticeable that even though he was doing amazingly well, Adrien was not going to be able to keep up with four grown men. The fight became messy as they crowded him, the bullish force of their clubs not meshing with Adrien's polished fencing style. He'd been trained for one-on-one, highly regulated and supervised bouts, not this gang brutality. And he was tiring quickly. He needed help, but what could she do?

Meanwhile, Gabriel was also being held motionless and unable to assist his son. Nathalie wasn't moving, but her employer made every effort to dash down the steps, held up each time with a sharp crack of Zephyr's leather whip. She wouldn't let him move up or down the middle of the stairs, like she intended to make him watch Adrien overpowered. Like she was enjoying it.

Nathalie could hear Adrien panting even above the other shouts of exertion from the officers. The two that had been tangled were up and advancing again, closing in where Adrien had just finished cutting the hand of an attacker, making him drop his baton to cradle the injury. But without an instant to savor that small victory, he had to switch his attention over to the fourth man, just barely ducking fast and low enough to avoid a sideswipe to his head. He tried sweeping the man's feet while he was down, but by this time the squad leader and his mate were on top of him, preventing him from getting off the floor. One lifted his club high for a blow while Adrien shrank beneath them. Nathalie did her best to move forward; she couldn't let him get hurt.

A streak of scarlet flew into the middle of the scene, wrapping around the uplifted club and wrenching it from the officer's grip. He finished the now pointless attack weaponless then looked rather stupidly at his empty hand. Before anyone had a chance to react, the red orb had knocked off each of their heads, like a strange and terrible pinball game, shoving them backward, toppling one over. Adrien reappeared in the center as they fell away, his face upturned toward the source of his salvation, his eyes bright as Ladybug came cannoning into the entryway, fierce and fast.

"You didn't start without m– _Adrien_!" Ladybug's demeanor changed as quickly as she'd switched the tide of the fight once she spotted him on the floor. With one leap, she'd placed herself securely in front of him, her yo-yo a glowing red circle keeping the officers at bay. Even with one injured and the other missing his weapon, they were still pressing forward. "You're not hurt, are you?" Ladybug asked over her shoulder.

"Perfect timing, my lady," Adrien greeted her, smiling even though he was shaking, pushing himself upright, adjusting his hold on his sword, stepping into stance beside her like they were old comrades in arms. "But it is getting a little crowded in here, don't you think?"

Ladybug nodded, though she looked slightly surprised, as though the lines were correct but the actor was wrong in some bizarre play they were starring in. Whatever Adrien said that messed her up, she recovered quickly and together they began making real progress in pushing the officers out of the mansion, balancing and covering each other with a familiarity that was impressive to witness.

Nathalie didn't have time to watch them long, though, as the dynamic had changed behind her on the stairs. Zephyr had realized that she couldn't take her time anymore now that Ladybug had joined the fight. She growled unintelligibly, turning Nathalie's attention, using her whip to force Gabriel up to the hall, away from the entry, trying to isolate him. Her wings flapped gently, no longer creating gusts of wind, but putting her into position for what looked like a dive, more like a hawk than a butterfly. There was a tenseness to her shoulders; she was drawing in for a strike. Gabriel's attention remained divided between Zephyr and Adrien, eyes darting back and forth, moving up the stairs with her whip without seeming to notice that he was being targeted.

But Nathalie was standing closer to Gabriel than she was to Adrien, and now that he had Ladybug at his side, she no longer felt she had to split her loyalty. Zephyr's wings were curling in now, streamlining as she rotated her arm to wrap the whip up to her elbow, leaving her fingers free to do to Gabriel whatever she had done to the officers, to the people at the movie theater.

"Watch out!" Nathalie screamed, once again moving before she'd consciously decided to, stripped to nothing but sheer, desperate instinct, rushing up the stairs between Gabriel and the monster, trying to give him time to get to Adrien, to get out, knowing even as she moved that it was a bad idea, that she was drawing more attention to herself than she wanted. Still, even though Gabriel terrified her, sometimes for things he did, sometimes for things she remembered others doing, he was still Adrien's father, had still treated her better than any other man in her entire life, and she couldn't stand for Adrien to lose both his parents if she could do anything to stop it.

Zephyr made her strike, but Nathalie had made it in time to grab her wrist before she could touch Gabriel, allowing her momentum to take them both jarringly down on the stairs, the marble edges hitting Nathalie on her cheek, upper arm, hip, and shin, making her grunt in pain. Zephyr's wings flapped wildly at the unexpected thwart to her attack, ripping out of Nathalie's hand and lifting herself back into the air. Nathalie felt Gabriel's hands under her arms, trying to help her up, but all she could see was the blood-red, sightless eye as Zephyr swooped at her, locking her tight against the steps by planting her cane across her throat, floating creepily over her at an angle parallel to the stairs but not touching them. Nathalie twisted awkwardly under the pressure of both Zephyr pushing down and Gabriel straining to pull her up, both of them hurting her even though only one of them meant to. She pushed against the stairs, trying to get some traction to shift her out from under Zephyr, the soles of her shoes slipping on the rolled edges of the marble.

"What are you saving him for?" Zephyr snarled at her. "Don't you know what he is?"

Yes, Nathalie wanted to answer. I know exactly what he is, good and bad, and I still choose him. Because he came home one evening to find his wife asleep on the couch while a teenaged stranger in dirty, torn clothes paced his living room with his four-month-old son in her arms and the only thing he thought to say was how pleased he was that Emilie had finally found the au pair she had been looking for and would Nathalie mind terribly if he took his wife to her own room to rest properly. Because he had trusted Emilie enough to never question her regarding her idea to take Nathalie in, even though she had been taken from the streets, simply supplying her wordlessly with a private room and a dramatically upgraded wardrobe. Because he'd started asking her to edit his contracts and budgets, then to write them, gradually transitioning her more and more into his business as Adrien needed less and less of her care, never once implying that her services were no longer required, that she would have to go back to the hell that she came from. Because he never asked her for anything more than she was willing to give him. Because he trusted her with his only child, with his wife's belongings, with his entire schedule and company. And for this she would defend him to her last breath. It seemed it may come to that.

"I know what you are," Nathalie said, in short, frightened gasps against the cane at her neck.

"You think so? Gabriel, enough of that," she said, grabbing him off Nathalie by his lapels and thrusting him sideways across the stairway with enough force that Nathalie heard the back of his head smack against the railing. He curled up, not unconscious but needing a minute before he could return to her aid. "I'm trying to talk to your champion." Beneath the throbbing of her heart, beating like a rabbit's, Nathalie could hear Adrien and Ladybug still fighting against the officers on the floor and knew that she was very alone. The bloody eye studied her carefully, not seeing but still reading her very soul.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" Zephyr asked her, quietly, her voice so sure, poisonous. Nathalie held her breath, hoping to make everything stop just like her respiratory cycle. "Pinned on your back. Windpipe half crushed. More than once, am I right? Oh, but you don't think about that anymore, do you?"

No, she didn't. Not ever. She walked the floors at night with baby Adrien against her chest, keeping the sweet smell of his infant head near her face and the light on low, never minding cradling him for hours while his parents slept because keeping him safe made her feel safe. He was almost two before he slept in a bed and not in her arms, and even then she had watched him from the rocking chair in the dark, more to keep her own demons corralled than because he needed it. As he grew, she had eased into the comfort behind the rigid routine of the Agreste mansion, and she forcefully stopped thinking of her mother's house, of the men who lived there, the ones she'd run away from. Not for years.

"Does it help? To dress like a man, to keep your hair tight to your head so no one can use it to pull you down? To pretend like you are a genderless machine? Or do you still wake up at night with shadows of hands on you?" Nathalie's heart felt tight, beating against a restraint. She realized that Zephyr's palm pressed hard against it, but that wasn't all that was touching her. She could feel them, the hands, hard, stiff, painful. She made a gagging noise, not able to breathe, her eyes blown wide, her vision shadowed and soaked blood red. "Ah, there they are," Zephyr crooned, her smile cruel and broken. "Well done. You've found your memories. Now drown in them." Something clamped so hard on her heart she thought it had burst open. The pressure moved from her throat and she twisted to her side, covering the back of her neck with both hands, pulling her head and knees into her chest to protect her from the horror that Zephyr had just dragged out of her mind, screaming.

BB

Adrien took one door and Ladybug the other, jamming them tightly closed while the security mechanism on the wall switched from green to red, locking part of the threat outside. Adrien's lungs were straining; he was exhausted and exhilaratingly light-headed as he turned to face his lady pressed against the other door, triumphant.

"Four down," he told her, and she smiled rather uncertainly back at him, worry in her eyes.

"Are you hurt?" She asked him immediately, reaching out a hand to him but not moving close enough to actually touch him. He could hardly stand how much he loved her.

"Adrien!" Plagg hissed urgently in his ear from his hiding place in the high collar of the fencing vest, reminding him that they weren't out of trouble yet. "Nathalie!"

Instead of answering, he followed Plagg's warning up the stairs where Zephyr hovered over Nathalie. His father was hunched against the far railing, gathering himself to get up, but for the moment, Nathalie was on her own, Valerie's cane tight against her neck. Ladybug looked where he was looking and together they broke for the stairs to rescue the assistant. The yo-yo shot forward ahead of them, wrapping tightly around Zephyr, pulling her backward and away from Nathalie, who curled into a tiny ball, balanced weirdly on the stairs, screaming with a pitch that hit Adrien hard at the small of his back and radiated out in currents of electric ruin.

"Get her out of here," Ladybug commanded as she strained to keep Zephyr under her control. Her wings bent awkwardly around the string and she floundered oddly on the stairs, fighting the restraint, protecting her left side. "I've got this. Get to safety."

"Do as she says," Plagg agreed, though leaving Ladybug alone here with Zephyr seemed unwise and recklessly dangerous to Adrien. "Hurry, Adrien."

He rushed up, right past Zephyr, who was being pulled distortedly downward by the yo-yo string that held her, thrashing like a nightmare, and joined his father at Nathalie's side where she was moving almost the same way. She cringed under their hands, twisting in search of escape, her fingernails digging deep into the soft spot at the back of her neck where her skull met her vertebrae. Together they lifted her up, agreeing with an instantaneous gaze to take her into her office down the hall. Adrien spared one last parting look for Ladybug, who continued to reel Zephyr toward her.

"Don't let her touch you!" He warned, hoping not to distract her but needing her to understand how important it was. "I'll be back."

"Go!" She yelled at him without turning her eyes from the akuma. He obeyed, straining to keep Nathalie under control and move her effectively out of the fight zone, not wanting to leave.

"Adrien," Plagg spoke as they moved, still in his ear, a calm and instructive presence. "We need to find Nooroo; you have to get your father to tell you where she is, but we can't let Valerie get the Miraculous before Ladybug has purified the akuma or it's over. Do you understand?" Now that he'd seen Valerie, Zephyr, how dangerous she was, Adrien thought this strategy might be impossible. They didn't even know where the akuma was. He was still convinced that his father had no idea about Nooroo or the stolen Miraculous. He couldn't believe he'd actually left Ladybug alone.

"Put her here," Gabriel instructed, bringing Adrien's attention back to the office and Nathalie. It was oddly quiet in here, though he could still hear sirens in the distance, still see red and blue lights joining the late afternoon sunshine outside. They set Nathalie down on the floor behind her desk, but could not straighten or calm her. She remained tightly balled up, shrieking even though her voice was shredded now, clawing at her face and arms, still tearing into the back of her neck like she was trying to remove something from her brain. "Try to keep her still." Adrien grabbed her wrists, his sword on the floor next to him, leaning his weight into her, while his father dug around in her desk drawers, looking for something.

"Nathalie," Adrien tried talking to her, struggling with his own breathing. "It's ok. You're safe now. Nathalie, it's me. It's Adrien." But she wasn't seeing or hearing him. Zephyr had trapped her into something hideous. "What did she do to her?" Adrien asked out loud, disturbed at seeing her this way, so in torment and unresponsive to comfort.

"I don't know," Plagg said, his voice crumbling at the edges a bit. "I've never seen her use her powers like this before."

"She's making her remember," Gabriel broke in, thinking that Adrien's question had been to him, not knowing anything about Plagg being there. "Something awful that happened to her like it's happening now."

"But what?" Adrien began. What could have ever happened to Nathalie where simply remembering it could do this? She was always so smooth, so in control of her expressed emotions, to the point he'd once thought she didn't have any.

"That's not for me to tell you, and I wouldn't even if it were," Gabriel said, his voice hard, getting on the floor beside them, dropping two small white pills into Nathalie's open mouth, moving away from talking about Nathalie's past or memories with absolute finality. "Make sure she doesn't choke or spit those out. They dissolve quickly."

"What are they?" Adrien asked, afraid, still leaning hard on Nathalie's twitching body, using one hand to push her chin closed, pressing her tight to the wall as she tried to throw her head back away from him, still confused over what had happened to her.

"Sedatives. Yours actually." Gabriel's eyes were also full of dark memories. "I don't like giving them to you, but sometimes it's all we can do. This is almost exactly how you are some nights." A shuddering chill went through Adrien as he stared at Nathalie. Really? How awful. Not for him; he didn't remember most of it, or at least not the physical part of what he might be doing while he dreamed. But for his father, for Nathalie, to have to watch him, to sit with him in the dark while it happened.

"I didn't know," he confessed, finding it hard to get a deep breath. He felt Nathalie's muscles begin to untense under him as the drugs started taking effect. His ribs felt smaller, pushed too tight on his lungs; a cramp forming in his hand, working its way up his arm. No, come on. He felt Plagg's claws on his neck, kneading him like a kitten, rhythmically, trying to calm him down.

"You're doing fine, Adrien. Stay strong now," Plagg encouraged him, though he could hear the worry in it, how Plagg wished it wasn't like this, that Adrien didn't have to fight so hard. "We have to save them." Adrien nodded. He understood.

"Father," Adrien started, wanting more than anything for Plagg and Valerie to be wrong about Gabriel, even though he absolutely did not have a backup plan for if they were. His father was replacing the bottle of sedatives in Nathalie's desk. Adrien knew better than to ask him directly about the stolen Miraculous; he'd never answer that. He'd have to phrase this carefully, then watch closely for those subtle clues Gabriel had when he was about to lie, the ones he was sadly all too familiar with, and he'd probably only get one chance to get the truth.

"What is it, Adrien?" Gabriel invited, standing with one hand on the corner of the desk, looking at Adrien in concern. Somewhere outside, back in the entryway, something shattered suddenly and they both jumped. Adrien could hear large pieces of whatever it was scattering over the marble floor. He needed to hurry. Gabriel turned his attention to the locked door, his hands clenching as if he expected it to break inward any second.

"Do you know why she's after you?" Adrien asked, hoping those were the right words, watching his father, watching his eyes, the corners of his mouth, looking for any hint of the twitch that would be the real answer, no matter what Gabriel tried to tell him. "Why would she think you have her Miraculous?" Gabriel stared at his son, frozen, his face open for a hint of a second, giving Adrien the chance he needed to read the answer in his father's expression, going cold at what he found there. Oh, how he wanted them to be wrong, even though it would create more problems. But no. Valerie knew about Gabriel. He did know why; he knew very well. Adrien pushed his hand against his heart to try and slow it down, feeling betrayed and hurt and furious. Gabriel did have Valerie's Miraculous. His father was Hawkmoth, he could see it in his face. He had been this whole time.

"We've never been friends," Gabriel said slowly, closing up, shutting down, regaining his immaculate control. If Adrien had blinked, he would have missed the truth. And even though the stakes were so high, he sort of wished he had.

"No," Adrien's voice cracked over the word, not wanting his father to continue knowing he would be trying to deceive him. He'd seen the reality; there was no going back now. Gabriel misunderstood what was happening; he crouched down, putting a gentle hand on Adrien's back. He flinched away from him, trying not to hyperventilate.

"Adrien?" Gabriel sounded a bit desperate. "Son, please, don't do this now." Like he could help it.

"You do have it," he accused, making Gabriel take his hand off him instantly. "How did you get it?" He continued, his words coming faster, tripping on themselves. "What did you do to Valerie? And to Nathalie? All those people you akumatized. How could you?" Gabriel was backing away now, his face confused and defensive, angry and sad. Adrien also got to his feet, though he sagged against the desk, weak, overwhelmed. Far away, he heard Ladybug yell. Plagg continued to press against the back of his neck, a metronome for his rushing heartbeat.

"Focus, Adrien," the kwami spoke clearly, sharply. "I know this is shocking, but we need Nooroo. You can sort it out with your father after we're safe."

"Where it is? The Miraculous?" Adrien finished his questions, trying to stand up straight, trying to look in control.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gabriel denied flatly. Adrien wanted to scream at him. Instead he gestured behind him at Nathalie, still as death on the floor.

"Stop it," he commanded. "Look at her. She saved you. Look outside. Our house is under siege; there are riots all over Paris. There is a woman that _you_ turned into a _monster_ tearing apart our entryway right now and the only thing between us and the end of all that is your pride. So just stop trying to pretend like you don't know what's going on. Like you had nothing to do with it."

"It's not so black and white, Adrien," Gabriel returned. "She was a monster before I ever saw her. What makes you think she deserves having it any more than I do? The things she's responsible for-"

"Did it ever occur to you that you both screwed up?" Adrien interrupted, hotly. And so did I, he thought afterward, cringing inside. Then he heard Nathalie's voice from yesterday on their ride home, telling him to treat his father like their relationship was either side of a Chinese finger trap. He would get nowhere telling Gabriel what he'd done wrong, and they didn't have time to fuss over blame. Ladybug was alone out there; things were breaking. They needed to work together.

"Look, it doesn't matter," he said, cooling the temperature of his voice. "What she did or what you did. It's done. It's over. The only thing that matters is what you're going to do now. Where is the Miraculous?"

"I'm not giving that thing out there a Miraculous!" Gabriel shouted, coming to the wrong conclusion about what Adrien was suggesting.

"Then use it yourself," Adrien challenged. "Remove her powers; you gave them to her."

"He can't do that, Adrien," Plagg reminded him. "It's Nooroo we need."

"Don't you think I haven't tried that already?" Gabriel's face was rigid and flushed. "If it could be done, it would be." Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on him for the first time that he'd been caught in his lie. He backed down, looking at the polished floor. "I don't know how to stop her," he admitted, and Adrien knew just how much it took for him to do it, how much he hated to be wrong. He softened a little towards him.

"Can I see it?" He asked, trying to sound innocent, like he'd never seen one before, like he wasn't wearing one on his finger. They were moving so slowly. It was starting to weigh on him, every second another that Ladybug had to fight for them. His father gave him a withered sort of look, one that clearly thought that it was a pointless thing to ask him. "She told me about it," he continued. "Valerie . . before she was transformed. She said there was a spirit attached to it. A . . kwami? She said that's what gives the Miraculous power. Maybe it knows something that will help?"

"Oh, you're good," Plagg said appreciatively. Adrien dismissed the compliment, staring hard at Gabriel. They needed a plan and quickly.

Gabriel hesitated while Adrien continued to watch him pleadingly. Come on, Father. No more secrets. There's no point and no time.

"Very well," he said, as if he were granting permission for Adrien to attend a concert or stay out past curfew, like he wanted to pretend that he was still in control here. Adrien was willing to let him provided he brought the Miraculous out into the open. He reached into the internal pocket of his blazer, pulling out a simple white box, the kind you could get at a street fair with a beaded bracelet inside. Again with the pocket, just like Valerie. It would probably irk them to know how similar they were to each other. He hoped he could point it out one day and it would be funny. "Cover your eyes."

But he didn't get a chance to open the box. The office door blew inward in pieces, just as Gabriel had been watching for earlier. Adrien did cover his eyes, flinching away instinctively. Gabriel threw the box behind the desk where it landed close to Nathalie's head. Adrien ducked low, out of sight, snatching it. The leather whip shot into the room, like a strike of black lightning, curling around Gabriel's waist like a living thing, dragging him out, Valerie still out of sight in the hallway. Gabriel looked at Adrien as he struggled against the force, his expression clear that he wanted Adrien to remain safe, remain hidden, no matter what happened to him.

"Let him go!" Ladybug screamed somewhere in the hall outside, and Adrien felt a little pulse of relief. She was still ok. He heard the whizz of her yo-yo and a thunk as it was blocked. He heard his father make sounds of exertion, trying to get free.

"Hurry!" Plagg commanded unnecessarily, coming out from Adrien's collar now that they were alone in the office. He flew to the box as if he would push the lid up himself, but Adrien was already lifting it, realizing that this was probably the only way he could save his father. And he did want to save him, despite what he'd done. Bright lilac light burst from the center of a pearl-colored, vaguely butterfly-shaped brooch, and a soft-eyed kwami with a spiral down its forehead and sweetly scalloped wings appeared before Adrien, bowing its head, sort of like Plagg had after Adrien had brought him back the first time after Valerie, a defeated, resigned posture. The way kwamis look when they think they are still trapped. It made Adrien hurt to look at her. She'd been a slave much longer than Plagg, had been forced to do worse things.

"Nooroo," Plagg called to his fellow kwami, and she startled at the unexpected voice, opening her eyes wide to try and take in everything at once. Her surroundings were shocking to her. She locked on to the only thing in the room that made any sort of sense, latching tightly to the kwami of destruction.

"Plagg? Oh no! Did he steal the black cat's ring?" She squeaked in terror, spotting for the first time Nathalie's prone form behind her against the wall, then looking at Adrien, her little body quivering like she would fall apart.

"No, Nooroo," Plagg assured her, holding up his paws, pushing her off him gently. "Nothing like that. This is my Chosen. We've come to reunite you with yours." She squeaked again, and Adrien took pity on her, cupping her in his hands as he had for Plagg, hoping they could both calm down enough to move forward. She was trembling so hard. So was he.

"Adrien?" She said, confused. He tilted his head at her. She knew his name? " _You're_ Chat Noir? Does your father –"

"We'll have to explain later," Plagg told her, coming to rest on Adrien's wrist, right on top of his bruise, facing Nooroo. "The short of it is, no, Gabriel does not know about Adrien. We're keeping it that way. More important and relevant - Valerie is alive."

"I knew it!" Nooroo crowed triumphantly, her eyes actually tearing up. "I told Emilie so!" Adrien opened his mouth, but without even looking at him Plagg stamped an impatient foot against his arm, warning him not to ask any questions about his mother right now. If everything worked out, there would be plenty of time for talking. "But where is she, Plagg? It's been . . . it's been years. The last time I saw her -"

"She's just outside this room, but Nooroo, she's been akumatized and she's looking for vengeance on Gabriel, looking for you. He couldn't stop her. I'm hoping you can."

Nooroo's eyes were even bigger, taking over her face. "So that's what happened," she said quietly, as if something that Gabriel had done finally made sense to her. "He was so shaken, but he sent me away. I didn't know what went wrong. Plagg, how could she have been akumatized? What happened to her?"

"It's my fault," Adrien confessed.

"It's not," Plagg denied. "But we're wasting time. Nooroo, can you retrieve the akuma?"

"I . . don't know," Nooroo sputtered, sinking Adrien's hopes. Plagg had been so sure. "They aren't supposed to be used like this. If he couldn't call it back, it means she put it into her heart." Adrien closed his eyes, feeling dizzy. He didn't even know that could be done. Looks like his father didn't know either. But if she'd done that, how would they take it out? Sometimes, he'd been forced to use his cataclysm to release an akuma from a cursed object. But there was no safe way to break Valerie's heart.

"You know her best," Plagg was saying, focusing Adrien again. "If anyone can do it, it's you."

Adrien heard his father then, not a word or a scream, but the undeniable sound of him being hurt. It put an ache into his jaw. He stood up, one kwami in his hands and the other on his wrist.

"I have to go out there," he told them. "Do we have a plan?" The kwamis exchanged looks.

"You can do this," Plagg said confidently to Nooroo.

"I could kill her," Nooroo responded, making Adrien hesitate.

"One for many," Plagg said darkly, reminding Adrien that he was the kwami of destruction. "But I don't think you will."

"She'll have to hold very still," Nooroo thought out loud, looking like she was holding on to her own heart.

"For how long?" Adrien asked, bending to retrieve the brooch from the box on the floor, following the going trend by tucking it into his jeans pocket.

"At least five seconds?" Such a tiny number, but from what Adrien had already seen, he knew it would be difficult. Valerie hovered, never touching the ground. She had not been still for two seconds, much less five. He wasn't sure how they were going to manage that, even though it would be three on one.

"Maybe now would be a good time for Chat to show up?" He asked Plagg hopefully.

"I'd rather you stay here and guard Nathalie," Plagg told him, but he couldn't be serious. "You look terrible. But!" He went on before Adrien could protest. "Since I know you'll never agree to that, how about we compromise and you stay how you are?"

"What do you have against me being Chat Noir?" Adrien begged.

"Chat Noir doesn't look like Emilie," Plagg answered. "Adrien does. Zephyr is still Valerie in there somewhere. We need to find her, hold her still, and heal her, and you have a better chance of getting through to her with your claws in. Plus . . . I'm not sure what Chat Noir will do to you. I don't want to hurt you again, Adrien. Not you. Not Valerie. I don't want to be responsible for suffering." Adrien sighed. The first part he sort of understood, the part about him looking like his mother; for now, that would be all they would work with, though he wasn't sure what Plagg intended for him to do to get through to her. He'd tried talking to her already. But they didn't have a lot of choices.

"Fine," he agreed, trying not to sound bitter about it. "Let's go."

He lifted them to his shoulder, squirming as they both settled into his collar, tickling him with wings and whiskers, the kwami of change on his left and the kwami of destruction on his right, the strangest pair of guardian angels in history. He went to one knee, gently removing Nathalie's glasses from her face, folding them and placing them on her desk. She slept quietly now, whatever Zephyr had done to her pulled under the heavy blanket of chemicals like a princess under a spell. He put his hand on her shoulder, leaning over to kiss her temple. Then he took his sword into his hand and turned toward the hall.

"I never thought I'd be saving Hawkmoth," he mused, stepping lightly over the shredded remains of the office door. I never knew it would be my father.

"He deserves to be saved. No one starts as a villain," Nooroo said softly. "The lucky ones don't end that way either."

"I happen to know a girl who specializes in luck," Adrien replied.

 **Author's Note, conclusion:**

 **I realize this chapter is a bit shorter than you're used to, but this really felt like the best place to halt for a minute and let you catch your breath (or maybe it's just me that feels worn out after writing it. Battle scenes are not my strong suit.) How are we doing?**


	9. Chapter 9: Last Drop of Sunset

**Author's Note: Thanks for your patience with this chapter; I know I'm a little late. I figured it would be better to take a little more time getting it just right than hurrying for the sake of some weird self-imposed deadline.**

 **One of my last reviewers (thank you so much, you have no idea how much I treasure your reviews), reminded me that, hey, what has Ladybug been up to while Adrien's been doing all this work identifying Hawkmoth and rescuing Nooroo? So this chapter gets rewound a little in the timeline, starting where Adrien and Gabriel take Nathalie away from the entryway. I think that's obvious, but just in case it isn't. That's where we're starting.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Nine: Last Drop of Sunset**

"Go!" Ladybug yelled up the stairs, keeping her eyes locked on to Zephyr, twisting grotesquely against her yo-yo string. Adrien turned over his shoulder, one arm around Nathalie, his other hand clenched around the sword hilt, his entire face covered in helpless agony. Ladybug didn't have the time to analyze the expression or feel much beyond relief that he was headed out of danger. There was a weird recklessness to him lately that bothered her, the way he kept jumping into peril. He'd taken it much too seriously that he would take Chat Noir's place; in mannerisms and in matches, and she didn't think she could take it.

And where was her partner anyway? If Valerie had become Zephyr, it undoubtedly had something to do with having Chat's Miraculous taken from her. Which meant that either Master Fu had it or Chat did. Which should mean that he should be crashing this party any second. Or maybe the next second.

At least, that's what she'd hoped for at the beginning, real, solid, hold-it-in-your-hands kind of hope. But then the officers at the scene of the riot started ducking for cover, too afraid to move, not being able to see past their terror. Her yo-yo had been lost under the mob, and she had screamed for him to come help her. And those seconds kept passing while the tide of mayhem avalanched through Paris without even a twitch of his tail. Ladybug remembered Master Fu saying that he might not physically be able to be Chat; she remembered how he felt under her hands, and she felt his loss keenly. He'd vanished now, really, without a trace. And the last person ever to see him in black and mask was currently straining against the bonds of her string, teeth barred, snarling and wild.

Don't let her touch you, Adrien had warned, but Ladybug was rather at a loss of what to do with her even as she pulled her down from the stairs and across the marble floor. Her first priority had been to just hold her until everyone had retreated to safety. But now she was alone. She'd dreaded the thought of having to fight her as Chat Noveau, but seeing her like this, as Zephyr, made her wish she'd had the first opportunity.

"Why are you fighting me?" she asked, her voice doing a wonderful job of keeping up the appearance that she wasn't terrified. "It doesn't have to be like this. You know better than anyone how these scenarios go. Let me free you. Let me purify the akuma that's doing this to you. You know you can trust me; we've worked together."

"You're making a lot of assumptions," Zephyr sneered, standing awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs, hunched toward her left side. "And forgetting that these scenarios only go well when Chat Noir is there to save you."

"Where is he?" Ladybug asked, pulling the string tighter for emphasis, tired of asking this question and never receiving an answer. She had to know. Someone just had to know. Somewhere in this city there was a boy with a ring who smiled like a sunbeam and fought like a black powder explosion, and she wanted the comfort of his shoulders against her shoulders in this battle. She wanted him to cover her in the cloak of his belief that she was unstoppable. She hadn't known how much of her success came from that faith. She didn't want to find out today.

"You know, I think that's the best part," Zephyr said, smiling dangerously, shifting the bloodied scar on her face until she looked demonic. "I don't think you'd actually believe me if I did tell you."

"Tell me anyway," Ladybug begged, trying not to sound like she was begging. She was the one in control. She was the one holding the string. So why did Zephyr look at her like that? Like she'd already won? "What happened to him?" Ladybug pushed. "I know he took his Miraculous back. I know you stole it from him."

"He has it," Zephyr confirmed, swaying in her bonds the way snakes do, hypnotic and crippling. The light from the upper windows was taking on a golden tint to it, turning richer, throwing shadows on her face. "He could use it anytime, but he won't. You see, girl, while you've been realizing how incomplete you are without him, he's been understanding how much better off he is without you."

"You're wrong!" The defiance slipped past her lips so quickly, so sharply. She chastised herself. She had to keep calm; she couldn't let Zephyr get the upper hand. But her words felt like a wedge against her soul, ready to split her in pieces.

"As I said," Zephyr mocked. "You wouldn't believe me." Ladybug felt something crack inside her, and she forced herself not to gasp. Was it true? Had Chat decided not to put the ring on again, to not be her partner anymore? Don't trust anything she says, she heard Chat say in her mind, a projection of a memory, a welcome slip in her conscience. No one knows me like you do.

"He'd still come," she insisted, feeling the need to defend him, defend how he felt for her. "He's still a superhero. He would want to save Paris from you."

"Then why isn't he here?" Zephyr queried, casually, slowly, shifting her weight, rustling her wings against the loops that bound them, keeping her grounded. The crack in Ladybug's soul widened. She'd been asking herself that this whole afternoon; she couldn't come to terms with it. He always came. He was always at her side.

Except he wasn't.

"I gave him some good advice the last time I saw him," Zephyr continued, answering herself. "I'm glad he was smart enough to take it." She'd taken a small, shuffling step forward, putting slack in the string. Ladybug pulled it tight again, taking a step backward almost unconsciously to keep it taut. Zephyr was as close to her as she wanted to ever be. She still needed to puzzle out where her akuma was hiding.

"Advice?" She prompted, though she knew it was a bad idea to let her keep talking. Her words might possibly be the most dangerous thing about her, but she couldn't just stand here with her forever, and she needed to buy herself a little time to scan her for possible akuma vessels. There weren't many possibilities. Whip, wings, gloves. Cane. Of course, the cane. The only thing about Zephyr that was reminiscent of Valerie, probably the only object on her that was present when she'd been transformed. It had to be in the cane. Now how to get it?

"I told him to forget about being Chat Noir, forget about you. You obviously didn't appreciate him or love him the way I know someone else does. He can have a normal life, a true love, and you won't be able to hurt him anymore." As she spoke, she continued to advance, just the tiniest of movements upsetting the balance of the yo-yo string. Ladybug compensated by taking it in and taking steps back, unsuccessfully trying to keep Zephyr's words out of her heart. What did she mean? She hadn't meant to hurt him; she just didn't want to lie to him. Her dedication remained with Adrien, and he had known that she hadn't chosen him from the start. So why did it hurt to think that someone else loved Chat Noir more than she did? Who could possibly? But why should it matter? She couldn't have them both. She wasn't allowed to be so possessive of someone she had rejected time and again. It had been so vain of her to think that she could continue to treat Chat the way she did and expect him to continue to feel the same way for her. It had been so unfair.

Don't let your guard down, my lady. She took up the slack. She couldn't afford to think like this now.

"Stop moving," she said suddenly, jerking the string for emphasis again, noticing that Zephyr was taking advantage of how her speech was distracting her. "I'm not letting you close enough to touch me."

"I don't have to put a finger on you," Zephyr smiled, laughing darkly. "Your emotions are already shredded. Honestly, I couldn't have done a better job. Look at the doubt in your eyes, so much hurt. You always thought you were so much better than him, but now you know how much he gave you, that you are nothing without him at your side. But too late. He's gone forever, just when you realized what he meant to you, how unkind you were, how selfish. How you'll never be able to make it right. You are a mess, all cracked and torn on the inside. You're not even sure what your feelings are anymore. That's what happens eventually, when you lead a double life. When all you do is lie, how can you even trust what you tell yourself?"

The crack inside Ladybug was splitting, branching out, like glass, like ice, soon she was going to snap into pieces, fall into cold, black water. How was Zephyr doing that? She hadn't put her hand on her; she knew that she hadn't. So how come she was making her feel like she was right?

Maybe because she is, and you know it.

"That's the curse of holding a Miraculous," Zephyr finished, still creeping in, limping hard on her left leg, not being able to use the cane since it was tangled in the semi-taut string. The light shifted in the room as Ladybug took a step to the side to maintain the distance between them, shining on the gold of Adrien's hair in the picture that hung at the top of the first landing, making it stand out as if it were the only colored portion of the photo. Adrien. Even if every word Zephyr told her was real, even if Chat had abandoned her and never wanted to see or work with her again, this wasn't over yet. She could still be true to someone. She could still save Adrien. She was still Ladybug.

"If that's the way you really feel about holding a Miraculous," she told her, keeping her voice light, pulling her stomach muscles in to press all her internal cracks together. She just needed them to hold a little while longer, just to get her through this one more time. "Then why do you want yours back?"

Zephyr's face darkened into rage, but Ladybug was waiting for that. She'd expected it. She drew her right arm back, the first two fingers of her left hand swiping down the string, bending her knees. The yo-yo clicked, giving Zephyr the slack that she'd been working for. Ladybug pounced off her back leg, lurching for the cane, but Zephyr's wings were free now and she flapped them hard enough to both shoot her off the ground and blast Ladybug backward against the locked front doors. She'd missed her chance for a strike, and now Zephyr was in the air again.

Scrambling, Ladybug made to orient herself between the crushing gale of Zephyr's wings and the unrelenting barricade of the doors. The wind pushed into her mouth, threatening to burst out her lungs, too much of it all at once. It took quite a bit of effort to twist her face to the side and gulp a breath. Zephyr wasn't even looking at her anymore. Now that she'd broken free, she'd returned to her original target. She was going after Mr. Agreste, not sparing Ladybug additional attention, not feeling that she was even worth the effort.

She struggled against the door, managing to pop her yo-yo straight up so she could use its force to lift her out of the path of the wing blasts, knowing she would have to get above it to make any progress. Her body deflated once free of the pressure, her ribcage decompressing, her eyes flooding with tears, overcompensating for being blown dry. She kicked off of the wall, allowing the yo-yo to release, flinging herself toward Zephyr's retreating form as a human bullet, twisting midair in order to knock into her back with her shoulder and elbow, using her weight and momentum to drag her to the floor. It might have worked, if Zephyr hadn't immediately rolled upon contact, slinging Ladybug off her and toward the hard, uneven surface of the stairs.

Before she could hit, Ladybug zipped out the yo-yo again, catching the railing along the upper hallway, letting the string go slightly elastic to slow her so she wouldn't break her neck switching directions at the speed she was falling, turning her body to land feet first against the stairs and push off, again aiming for Zephyr, who had recovered from her roll and hovered in the entryway. She'd uncoiled her whip.

"I thought you'd be on my side about this," Zephyr panted, furious that she was being delayed, dropping unexpectedly again out of Ladybug's reach at just the last moment, letting her glide over her head this time. "Since you're so worried about stolen Miraculous. I thought you wanted to defeat Hawkmoth!"

"Gabriel Agreste is a lot of things," Ladybug shot back as she calculated her landing. "But he can't be Hawkmoth." She somersaulted behind the railing into the walkway just as the whip cracked against the stone of the bannister, sending chips of it flying like sparks. Zephyr rotated her shoulder and let loose another strike, this time allowing the whip to coil around the railing and ripping a portion of it off, taking part of the floor it was bolted to and smashing the entire mess across the marble of the entrance, white chunks and dust skittering out in a wave of destruction, placing hazards over the combat zone.

"Can't be?" Zephyr shouted, incredulously. "How can you _possibly_ be a Chosen? Open your eyes, little girl, and stay out of my way."

"I'm not going to let you hurt them!" Ladybug asserted, jumping over the new gap in the floor instead of taking the slower way around it and racing along the upper hallway to where Zephyr was raising herself over the railing. She snapped out the yo-yo, intent on catching the cane, but Zephyr just as quickly slicked out the whip, knocking the weapon aside, keeping the cane tightly gripped in her clawed hand. Before the string could return her weapon to Ladybug, Zephyr had twirled the whip into position, deftly twisting her wrist so that it curled around Ladybug's ankles, jerking her feet out from under her and landing her hard on her back.

"I'm getting tired of playing with you," Zephyr growled, rotating her body, drawing back the whip still attached to Ladybug, dragging her across the floor and painfully up over the railing. Ladybug grabbed desperately for the top as she felt the whip release her, leaving her hanging off the bannister on the wrong side of the drop. The split of the leather end caught her across the knuckles, making her scream before she could stop herself and let go her hold. The yo-yo fell harmless into the upper hall while Ladybug fell five meters to the debris-strewn floor, landing awkwardly on a broken piece of railing and losing her footing immediately.

Zephyr rotated again and launched the whip at the portrait of the Agreste family, skillfully breaking it from the wall with one strike and then using another to grab the far side of it and pull it towards her end of the staircase, landing the nearly one-hundred-kilogram artwork on its side, splintering the frame it crashed on, blocking the entry to the upper level. Ladybug pushed off her knees to stand up, looking around quickly for some way to get upstairs. Zephyr had turned her back to her again, advancing on the locked door where Adrien was hiding.

Without her yo-yo, Ladybug searched her other options. The upper railings were too high to do a standing or even a running jump, even for her. But the lower staircase railing was designed like a ramp, a very slippery marble ramp at a steep incline, more like a slide but better than nothing. Taking a risk, Ladybug backed against the door to get a good running start, taking off just as she heard the door upstairs splinter in pieces, no match for the shock of the whip. But how had she managed a powerful enough strike within the confines of the hallway? There wasn't enough room to draw it back and the angle was wrong to go to the side. Maybe she'd kicked the door in? It didn't matter; there wasn't a door anymore and the people she was working to protect were exposed.

Ladybug leaped onto the railing, kicking herself upward more than she was running, feeling the give of each step as her traction failed against the too-smooth surface. She pumped her arms, leaned forward, and just when her center of gravity had shifted so that she was certain her next step would plant her chin-first onto the marble, she pivoted and pounced, stretching to the side where the upper railing came first into view, then into reach, until she was once again hanging off the side. But this time she swung her legs, sideways and up, catching her heel on the railing and using it to twist herself up and over onto the upper floor.

Standing straight, she located where her yo-yo had dropped, scooping it up on the run to where Zephyr was dragging Gabriel away from the tight hallway and into the more open area where the twin staircases pooled into one, the portrait blockade against the stairs forming a sort of channel of the space.

"Let him go!" Ladybug demanded, throwing her yo-yo with the intent of snagging the cane. But Zephyr was faster, pivoting on the spot and rotating the cane where the yo-yo had looped, using a move that was signature Chat Noveau with her baton to snag in the string, wrapping it around and pulling it from Ladybug's hands, leaving her weaponless again. Ladybug felt her breath go out of her in a frustrated rush while Zephyr held up the cane covered in string, her face murder and mischief. It gave Ladybug the terrible feeling that Zephyr hadn't even pulled out any stops yet when it came to this fight. That she was treating Ladybug like an amateur and a child. Maybe she was.

However, Zephyr had also discounted Gabriel while she was reeling in the yo-yo. She'd left him unattended just long enough for him to contort out of her whip, and as she lifted the cane for Ladybug to see, he cannoned into her, shoving her horribly down the side steps to the first landing. She landed in a tangle of wings and blackness while the cane flew out of her hand, sliding amidst the rubble on the marble floor, yo-yo and all. Ladybug left both Gabriel and Zephyr on the landing between the painting and the wall to launch herself off the railing, flipping in midair to control her descent and touching down in a crouch beside the cane. Thank you, Mr. Agreste, she thought only half sarcastically as she picked up the plain wooden stick that Valerie had used to walk.

"This is over!" Ladybug yelled in triumph, bringing down the cane in a violent crush against the top of her leg, breaking it in two. She let the pieces fall so she could split open the yo-yo, ready to catch the akuma as it escaped from the wood. Except it didn't. No black butterfly appeared. Ladybug took a moment to snatch up the broken bits, actually shaking them out as if the space had been too tight and the akuma might be stuck somehow, even though she knew that wasn't what happened. She'd been wrong. The akuma wasn't in the cane.

She heard Zephyr laughing at her from where she was getting to her feet on the landing, though she didn't have time to mock her long before Gabriel descended on top of her, his face also masked in rage. He shoved her again, hard against the floor, and she looked up at him in surprised disgust.

"You want to fight me, Gabriel?" She asked, darkly, more a warning than a question.

"I want to kill you," he told her, just as dark. Ladybug felt her eyes widen. Zephyr just laughed.

"Good," she said, using her wings to help her to her feet, coiling the whip around her waist with a quick twist of her wrist. She brought both hands up, her left leg lifted in front of her, toe against the floor for balance as she put her weight on her right. "Come try then."

Gabriel flew at her as if he had wings himself, right arm drawn back for a punch. She jumped neatly over him, using his shoulders as a springboard to flip herself over, letting him flail in the disorganized momentum from his unsuccessful attack. They turned to face each other again, this time from the opposite side, Gabriel's lips curled in hate.

Ladybug stood entranced, momentarily unsure what to do, the broken cane on the floor with the smashed pieces of railing, her yo-yo in her hand. Gabriel and Zephyr were one unit now, their legs hooked at the ankle to keep them tight against each other, both trying to make some headway, to lean far enough back at the waist to put power into a punch. She realized that she'd never seen a fight where the combatants were so committed to the other's destruction. Zephyr landed a palm strike upward against Gabriel's nose, so strong that it knocked him completely backward, falling hard on his elbows and nearly smashing the back of his head against the stairs. He growled at her, blood dripping down onto his lip.

"Don't stop now," Zephyr taunted, spreading her hands to the sides as an invitation for him to regain his footing. "You're better than I thought. That's so much more satisfying."

Though she didn't have another idea for where the akuma could be, Ladybug couldn't let Mr. Agreste get hurt like this. Using the yo-yo, she once again pulled herself to the upper level, dashing to the top of the higher, shorter set of stairs, looking down onto the landing, trying to find an opening where she could get between them and allow Mr. Agreste to escape.

"Ladybug! Are you ok?" Adrien's sudden appearance at her side made her jump, both hands shooting up into defense. Adrien matched her, lifting his sword along with his hands, his face penitent and haunted, his breathing clearly visible in the rise and fall of his shoulders and chest.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to sneak up on you." His attention was drawn toward the shouts of exertion from the landing, his mouth going slack when he saw his father, blood all over his face, performing a sidekick into Zephyr's left hip, tilting her into needing to catch herself on the corner of the bannister. "What's going on?"

Ladybug shook her head at him. "You shouldn't be here, Adrien. It's too dangerous. I don't want you getting involved."

He slanted his head to one side, face flushed with adrenaline but outwardly calm. "My tutor is unconscious in her office. This is my house." He pointed with his sword to the fight. "That's my father and my mother's best friend. And you . . . " his voice tightened on him. He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. "I can't be any more involved," he told her, unwilling to compromise on the details. Ladybug had her mouth open now, wanting to force him into hiding and also wanting to throw herself into his arms.

"What are they doing?" Adrien was asking again, trying to get up to speed on the situation.

"Trying hard to hurt each other," Ladybug responded, surprising herself with the matter-of-factness of her tone, fighting with herself on telling him anything. He shouldn't be here, and yet it soothed her soul to have an ally at her side, even if it wasn't who she was used to. Sorrow crept into Adrien's expression.

"Has she touched him? Did she make him fight?" He was watching them now with an intensity, studying them with a sense of distortion, which was understandable. He'd certainly never seen his professional parent perform hand-to-hand combat techniques. He might as well be watching a stranger.

"I don't think so," Ladybug answered. She couldn't be sure, but to her Gabriel's violence was all his own. Did Adrien say that Valerie knew his mother? They were friends? She'd have to come back to that. "Honestly, I don't think she's used her power against him because she just wants to beat him up. This looks like a fight they started before and never finished. She believes he's Hawkmoth."

"She's right."

Ladybug snapped all her focus onto Adrien. He kept saying unexpected things that rearranged her grasp of what was going on. How could she be right? How could Gabriel Agreste be Hawkmoth? Maybe he didn't actually say that, maybe she heard him wrong, but Adrien looked miserable, ashamed, misinterpreting her surprise.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug," he apologized as if he were personally responsible for his father being her nemesis. "I had no idea."

"But that's impossible," Ladybug sputtered, not feeling all that sure anymore. "If he has the Miraculous, why isn't he using it? He's fighting with no powers. He's allowing her to keep hers?" Adrien curled his hand around her bicep, pulling her backward. She'd been shocked into weakness, so didn't have much in her to protest being tugged away. Together they slipped behind another door, the one to Adrien's bedroom. Ladybug had recovered enough by this point to wonder what they were doing here, why he'd separated her from where she needed to somehow stop the violence in the entryway. She couldn't imagine him having any more secrets. There couldn't possibly be anything else he could tell her that would be any more astonishing than what he'd revealed already. Right? She turned from the closed door, ready to ask, as Adrien pulled something from his pocket. He held it in his open palm, an unassuming pearl brooch, but the way he was presenting it to her made it apparent that he thought it was of special significance.

He really did have one more secret after all. Ladybug felt weak in the knees, way out of her element. What she wouldn't give for Chat to be here with her.

"Is that?" Ladybug started, reaching for it. Adrien's hand twitched closed, protective even from her. She backed down, waiting for an explanation.

"Yes," Adrien answered. "My dad gave it to me before Valerie grabbed him. It's her Miraculous. He's had it this whole time." She was stunned, helpless with no plan.

"Are you sure this is it?" Ladybug checked, everything in her protesting that this was happening. "Did you see a light? There should have been –"

Adrien looked puzzled, confused as to why she would be questioning him until she got to the part about the light. "Oh, yeah," he said, interrupting her, pulling at the collar of his fencing shirt to release a small winged lilac spirit into the air.

"A kwami," Ladybug finished as the godlet in question hovered in front of her face, soft and sweet and nowhere near what she had pictured in her mind for the creature behind Hawkmoth's power. Adrien had his hand still against his neck, cupped carefully on his other side from where the butterfly had flown, looking slightly awkward and a little annoyed.

"Well, you're less threatening than I imagined," Ladybug told the spirit, not sure what to say. She bowed her head, folding her tiny hands in front of her. If it were possible for her to blush, she would be a different color.

"Forgive me, Ladybug," she said, voice brimming with remorse. "I know what I've done to you."

"Don't think like that," she answered, imagining Tikki in her place, how upset she would be if someone had taken her and used her for evil. And what about Chat's kwami? Was he feeling the same? Somehow responsible for something that wasn't his fault too? "It wasn't you; you didn't have a choice. But we could really use your help right now, if you can. I broke Zephyr's cane, but the akuma wasn't in there. I have no idea how to stop her, but we need to do something fast before she hurts Adrien's father."

"The akuma is . . ." but she couldn't finish. She pushed her hands against her face, closing her eyes, sobbing. Ladybug's heart melted, but it was Adrien who moved first, gently closing three trembling fingers around her, drawing her close to nuzzle her against his cheek.

"Don't worry," he said softly, so comforting that Ladybug wanted to cry too. "We'll save her." He maneuvered her carefully into his palm, using his fingertip to smooth the edges of her wings, stroking the spiral on her forehead, watching her worriedly as she continued to cry. Ladybug stared at him, feeling a strange uneasiness in her soul. He'd taken to this rather easily. His father being Hawkmoth. The kwami in his hands. The akuma in his home. All these surprising twists and turns, and he was taking it confidently in stride. She rather envied him. She was having a hard time keeping up.

"The akuma is in Valerie's heart," Adrien explained when it became clear that the kwami was too overwhelmed by grief to speak, his own voice strained. Maybe he wasn't taking things as well as he seemed. "That's why Hawkmoth . . . why my father . . . couldn't call it back. Nooroo says she can take it out, but we're going to have to keep Valerie very still. I guess kwamis can pass through anything, but she won't be able to see when she does it, so she has to aim true. If Valerie moves . . ." he paused, hiding Nooroo for a moment in his hands, pulling her close to his chest as if he could protect her from what he was about to say and from what she was going to have to do. "It could kill her."

"Why would she do something like that?" Ladybug heard herself ask without meaning to. What place would a person have to be to allow so much darkness into their heart like that? On purpose? And for what? To get vengeance? It was all so wrong.

Though she'd put the question out there rhetorically, Adrien shrank as she asked it, curling into himself very tightly, holding on to the kwami with his eyes closed, actually swaying a little. Ladybug took him by the shoulders, stepping close in case she had to catch him. She'd been wrong. There was nothing about this that he was taking easily; he'd just been hiding it well.

"Okay," she comforted, knowing that she had to be the one to keep it together. She was the heroine. They were depending on her. She could not fail them. "It's not the best situation, but it's not hopeless either. Here, Adrien, I'll take the Miraculous. I'll find a way to make sure she stays still."

"I'm going with you," he replied, voice stronger than his posture. He placed the kwami on his shoulder carelessly, a practiced gesture. She darted beneath the collar of his shirt, once again out of sight.

"Not a chance," Ladybug denied. "You need to stay here until Nooroo and I take care of the akuma . . . and Hawkmoth." She held out her hand expectantly for the Miraculous, used to being obeyed. He'd risked too much trying to help her already. He wasn't strong enough to be caught in her fight. She wasn't strong enough to watch him try.

"Sorry, Ladybug," Adrien told her, actually sounding sorry even as he walked around her toward the door. "This is something I have to take care of."

"Adrien, wait!" But he was someone else today, someone who seemed to think that this was all his fault, that he had some sort of obligation to see that everything was put right. Was it because of Hawkmoth? He had his sword in his hand again, headed toward the hallway. The sounds of the fight became clearer as he opened the door.

Since there wasn't anything she could do short of tying him up to stop him, Ladybug had no choice but to follow his lead out of the room, forcing herself to de-escalate her thoughts. All they had to do was stop Zephyr long enough for Nooroo to get the akuma out of her. That didn't sound so bad. Definitely not impossible. There were worse plans.

But the flurry of motion in the landing tripped up her confidence. Gabriel and Zephyr were still tearing into each other, panting in fatigue and fury. It was crippling to witness, trying to keep up with the attacks, trying to determine who was dominating. The tide seemed to switch every few seconds, neither of them able to overpower the other. Fortunately for Gabriel, Zephyr seemed to have a handicap on her left side, Valerie's injuries carrying over into her akumatized form, restricting her movements. Also fortunate for Gabriel, Zephyr seemed to be savoring their struggle, as if she were holding back for the sole purpose of teasing him into taking another hit.

Adrien stood at the top of the stairway, sword so loose in his fingers that it could slip from them any moment. He steadied himself with a hand on the railing, face pale, wincing at every successful strike, no matter who had thrown it.

"Don't flatter yourself," Gabriel said, his words smearing oil over their fight zone. "You were a charity case to Emilie. She pitied you the same way she felt for stray animals. You were a yapping puppy needing all her attention."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Valerie snarled back, recovering from a dodged punch. "A selfish, spoiled boy like you who has never felt pity in his life. You weren't worthy of her."

It was confusing to Ladybug, listening in from somewhere very distant from the past they were reliving. The way they were talking, the insulting things they were shouting at each other. They had such a troubled history that she was shocked Hawkmoth had chosen Valerie as a victim. Unless he hadn't known it was her until it was too late. She switched her gaze constantly back and forth between the fight and Adrien at her side, making sure he wasn't going to try anything crazy. So far, he stood completely still, transfixed by what was going on. He had let go of the bannister to put his hand on his face, almost as if he wanted to cover his eyes, like he couldn't watch this anymore. And yet, Ladybug knew that they were both pinned to it, that there was something going on here that they couldn't bring themselves to interrupt.

Nooroo peeked out of Adrien's shirt, eyes too large for her face, shining, full of pain and want. "Oh, Valerie," Ladybug heard her murmur. "What have you done to yourself?"

The fight was slowing slightly as they tired, longer and longer bouts between attacks where they simply circled each other, planning their next move more carefully with what remained of their energy, using their words more than their hands now.

"I loved her more than anything," Gabriel defended. "You couldn't possibly understand –"

"You don't know what love even is!" Valerie shouted. "How could you? Your parents brought you up to be an ornament, just like the desk in your father's office, a plant in your mother's garden, another stiffly perfect branch on the gilded, dead, Agreste family tree. And that's all Emilie was too, the right income, the correct dress size and height to suit your coloring. But she was _everything_ to me!"

Gabriel crushed into her, pushing her against the wall where the portrait used to be, hands against her throat as if he meant to strangle her, holding her still. Ladybug tensed, palming her yo-yo.

"Nooroo," she said. "Now's your chance."

"I can't!" Wailed the tiny voice.

The hesitation was enough for the moment to pass, frustrating Ladybug, even though she knew it hadn't been a good chance, that it had been a moment carrying too much risk. Valerie lifted both her arms on the inside of Gabriel's, breaking his hold on her throat and headbutting him backward away from her, knocking him against the back of the painting that blocked the staircase. Ladybug was suddenly glad it was there. Otherwise, Gabriel would have fallen backward down the steps.

"If you loved her so much, how could you have put her in danger like you did?" Gabriel demanded, regaining his balance after her push, beginning to circle her again, looking for another opening for an attack. "Taking her farther and farther from school, involving her in that secret ritual. You forget I saw what you were doing in that building. The symbols on the floor, the glass, the blood. She was so pure and you meant to sacrifice her!"

"You are such an idiot," Valerie snapped impatiently, twisting to the side and uncoiling her whip as Gabriel lunged for her again. "We were there to stop that ritual. None of those things were mine. You mean to say that you've had my kwami all this time and never bothered to ask her what really happened that night?"

"I finally saved Emilie from you, that's what happened that night," Gabriel began, but his words were cut off into a yelp as the whip caught him on the cheek. Lines of crimson dripped onto the cream of his jacket front and sleeve as he covered the wound with one hand.

"I should have gotten rid of you when I had the chance," Valerie quipped, flicking the whip in precise, short bursts, opening Gabriel's skin along his hands, neck and face. He cringed in front of her as she cut into his clothes. "It would have been so easy to break you two apart. One touch and she would have hated you. A brush of my hand and you would have never thought to look at her again. If she had ever hinted that you had done something wrong, that she was not as devoted to you as she claimed to be, I would have."

"Dad," Adrien whispered at Ladybug's side, still at the top of the stairs looking down. He could barely get the word out, his hand pressed against his chest. Ladybug rested her fingers on his shoulder, studying her surroundings. Now that Zephyr had taken out her whip again, it was really time to finish this. There had to be some way to pin her motionless. But the clean emptiness of the Agreste mansion didn't leave much to work with. Maybe Adrien had a volleyball net in his closet? Maybe if she used her Lucky Charm?

But if she did that, it would leave her only five minutes to use it. What if that wasn't long enough and she had to leave Adrien and Gabriel alone? If Chat were here to cover for her, she would have done it already, but now she hesitated.

Gabriel allowed his arm to be struck hard with the whip, using his free hand to grab onto it and wrapping it around his forearm a few times to hold it still. Valerie tightened her grip until they both held fast, beginning a sort of tug-of-war for the weapon. Both of them with scarlet smeared on their faces, both showing their teeth and trembling with the effort of keeping their end of the whip.

"I should have left you under that wall," Gabriel said in disgust. "When Emilie collapsed on my doorstep after telling me where to find you, I should have just taken her to the hospital and pretended I never heard her beg for your life."

"You're lying," Valerie spit out.

"Oh, no," Gabriel returned, straining to get more traction on the leather in his hands. "My parents took Emilie to the hospital while I went to get you. I moved the debris to uncover you enough to move you. I lifted you in my arms and carried you over the wreckage and across the field to where an ambulance could reach you. And when you stopped breathing at the roadside waiting for it, I'm the one who breathed for you –"

"Shut up!" Valerie demanded, looking at the floor.

"I saved your life!" Gabriel yelled defiantly. "I did it because she asked me to, so don't you dare tell me I don't love her."

"Enough! Stop talking!" Valerie insisted, jerking so hard on the rope that she pulled Gabriel forward, sprawling him on the landing floor with his wrapped arm stretched out in front of him. She stepped on his wrist and released her weapon from his fingers, then slashed him sharply across his shoulders. He grunted, beginning a struggle to get to his feet as she backed out of his reach.

"I could have let you die," Gabriel continued, even though he was on the floor, even though Valerie was keeping him there with strategic smacks of the whip. There was a desperation to her now. He was getting to her.

"So why didn't you?" Valerie demanded.

"Because it was so _satisfying_ looking at your disfigured face when I told you that I had won," Gabriel taunted, earning himself a lash at the small of his back. He tightened in pain but managed to get up onto his knees this time. "That I had brought you back to find out that you would never see Emilie again. That you were forever marked and crippled because of your carelessness. That she had chosen me. And you were so _grateful_ about it. So pathetic."

Valerie took another step backward, her face stricken, the whip almost forgotten in her hand. Apparently this knowledge was new to her. Gabriel regained his footing, looking somehow taller than before.

Adrien sank to the floor, listening, tears on his face. Ladybug risked giving him all her attention. She could tell he couldn't breathe. She crouched behind him, pulling him tight against her, wishing he had stayed away, that he hadn't heard any of this.

"Easy, Adrien," she whispered in his ear, pressing and releasing against his heart at steady intervals. "I need you to breathe."

"They have to stop," he replied, breathless. "We have to stop them. They're going to kill each other. I can't . . . I don't want to lose. . . " He couldn't finish his thought, and Ladybug didn't know which one of them he felt he couldn't lose. They'd both done hideous things, to others, to one another. Ladybug was feeling rather furious and disgusted with both of them, but Adrien was purer than she was, without any kind of malice.

"Ladybug, please," he begged her, wheezing on his words, clinging to the arm she had wrapped around his chest. "Use your lucky charm. Save them."

She knew he was right; it was their only hope here. But what if she needed Chat to make it work? What would she do then? What if she needed his belt or his baton. No, not what if. She did need him, so much. How was she supposed to do this without him?

"Peace, Adrien," Nooroo was chanting, completely in the open now, hovering next to Adrien, her hands placed strategically against his temple. He breathed in shuddering little gasps, moving his hand from Ladybug's arm to the side of his neck, cupping it there, closing his eyes. "Slow your heart; deepen your breath; calm your soul. Be at peace."

"Ladybug?" He asked, waiting for her, trusting her, and she stood up, her yo-yo solid against her palm, watching Nooroo use whatever magic she possessed to help Adrien. Watching how the power of the butterfly was supposed to be used. Watching as Adrien smiled gratefully at the kwami, knowing that she had to use her power now too.

"Lucky Charm!" She said, putting as much confidence into the invocation as possible, tossing her yo-yo toward the ceiling and holding her hands out to catch whatever fortune thought would help her best. Seconds began ticking in her mental countdown. A chunk of glass, vaguely triangular, fell into her grasp and she almost cried. A piece of glass? Really? That's all she was going to get? Not a net or . . really? More seconds passed. What was she going to do now?

Below, Zephyr had renewed her attack on Gabriel, the thought that he'd once brought her back from death, that she owed him her life, working her into a frenzy. She mercilessly used her whip, forcing him to retreat. Slowly, he was working his way up the stairs to where Adrien was crouched weakly behind the railing, where Ladybug stood with her Lucky Charm, trying to put together a plan. She looked desperately around but the only thing that stood out to her was Adrien and the window above the front door where the light was sinking into sunset.

"The storm," Adrien said quietly, looking exhausted, hurt, but recovered enough that he stood up beside her. She clutched the piece of glass, staring at him. "The rainbow," he finished, speaking like someone in a dream. Gabriel was more than halfway up the stairs. They needed to move out of the way. They needed to do something with the glass.

"Adrien, move," Ladybug commanded, grabbing his arm and dragging him away from the top of the stairs. Together they retreated around the entryway upper level, hopping over the break in the floor from when Zephyr had ripped out the railing. Gabriel took the last step up from the entry; Adrien fell to his knees at Ladybug's feet.

"I think I know what to do," Adrien said, his face full of memory and pain, looking at the glass. "It's a prism."

"What do I do with it?" Ladybug asked him, more than ready for a recommendation, wanting this to be over, wanting Adrien to be ok.

"Can you get it up there?" Adrien pointed to the upper window, still breathing raggedly. "We need a rainbow."

"A rainbow?" Ladybug repeated, upset. How was a rainbow going to do anything? But her charmed sight had told her that Adrien and the window were important to her success. She would have to trust what he said, even if it made no sense to her. Adrien nodded, turning his head to where his father was now backing away from Zephyr in their direction.

"Hurry, Ladybug," he prompted, and she curled her fingers around the edges of the prism.

"Okay," she replied, zipping the yo-yo string upward where it caught on a hanging light. She used it to get her high enough to touch the window, swinging back and forth, trying to get into position to catch the sunset in just the right way to break it into the spectrum. The sunlight was fading, though, almost gone. The entryway was darkening. She wasn't sure if there was enough light left to use. She couldn't reach the window long enough to hold the prism in place, and there was no ledge there to hold it for her. The wall gave her no traction; there wasn't a better place to put her yo-yo that would give her access.

"I can't place it!" She shouted down to Adrien, as if he could somehow help her. She did need Chat's baton. He could plant it into the wall, give her something to brace against so she could set the prism just so. They were running out of light.

A little spot of purple appeared in front of her face very suddenly. Nooroo.

"Give it to me," she said, reaching for it as Ladybug hung there helplessly from the light fixture. Ladybug held it up, relinquishing it to the butterfly spirit, turning her head to see what was going on below as she heard a scream. The glass left her palm as Nooroo flew with it up to the window.

"Father!" Adrien yelled in warning as Gabriel backed up to the broken part of the floor, almost losing his balance and falling. Zephyr was doing something strange with her whip, the same expression on her face as when she was about to strike down the Cat Man akuma victim. She twisted her whip almost like stirring a soup, creating a mini cyclone from it in front of her, allowing it to build momentum upward in a spiral without using any space for a long sweep. This was a quicker-than-sight move, a killing strike. Zephyr was finished with Gabriel. This was a final attack. Ladybug started swinging to get the right angle to jump for the upper hallway. Somehow she had to get there in time.

"Don't!" Adrien screamed at Zephyr, rushing toward Gabriel as Nooroo struggled with the prism against the window. He jumped rather gracelessly across the broken floor, colliding with his father, pushing him down and landing badly against the ragged edge, throwing his arms out instinctively to help keep him upright.

"Adrien!" Ladybug gasped in fear as everything happened all at once. Gabriel fell forward, out of range, protected from the attack. Zephyr's whip flashed upward, slicing open the right side of Adrien's perfect face, the force of it knocking his head backward, tipping his balance. "NO!"

Gabriel twisted on the floor, grabbing for his son, missing by inches. Adrien hit the opposite side of the hole against his upper back, his head jerking even farther backward at the force of it, and then he fell. Five meters down, landing terribly on his right side with a grotesque cracking noise on the marble floor, on top of several jagged pieces of broken railing, at the same time the room filled with scraps of rainbows, covering his motionless body.

Ladybug screamed in denial, matching the torment of Gabriel's echoing cry, turning her head immediately to Nooroo who held the prism firmly in the light, each tiny movement scattering the rainbows around the room. "I need that!" She said, holding out her hand. "The Miraculous Charm. I need to –"

"No," Nooroo replied, holding fast. "Not until the akuma is purified. We have to save Valerie first."

"But Adrien. No, please bring it here."

"Valerie," Nooroo insisted, and Ladybug sobbed. But how? How was she supposed to do anything for Valerie? Nooroo was too far away from her to even get the akuma. She couldn't hold the prism and pull the dark butterfly out of Valerie's heart at the same time. And what good was the rainbow anyway? Broken light. What use was it? She was running out of time.

"Please, give it to me," Ladybug cried. "I have to save him." He still wasn't moving. Why wasn't he moving? Was he gone already? Had she lost him?

"You have to save her," Nooroo said, relentless. "If you don't, the people she's touched will destroy Paris."

"Adrien will die," Ladybug pleaded.

"One for many," Nooroo replied, turning Ladybug cold.

"Emilie," Valerie said, hardly loud enough for Ladybug to hear from where she still dangled from the light fixture, too horrified to move. She coiled the whip around her waist, harmless now, and lifted herself above where Gabriel leaned over the railing in shock, dropping down to the floor beside where Adrien lay in a patch of rainbows. She went to her knees at his side as Gabriel looked around for the best way to get down the stairs.

"Don't touch him!" Gabriel screamed at her, helpless, but it seemed she was beyond hearing. There was nothing that existed to her except the boy in front of her, the rainbow streak in his golden hair, the smear of blood under his face. He moved, just slightly, lifting a badly trembling hand to rest it against Valerie's cheek, his thumb lightly tracing the scar. Ladybug exhaled, covering her mouth with her hand; he was still alive.

"Do you trust him?" Nooroo asked, maneuvering the prism as the light went down, keeping Adrien covered in color. How could she ask that? Now? She thought of Chat, lying helpless under her hands, fevered and shivering. How it was the last time she'd ever been with him. How she'd lost him. How it was happening again with Adrien. How there was nothing she could do about it.

"Of course I do?" She answered, not knowing why Nooroo thought she needed to hear her say it, not knowing if she meant Adrien or Chat, but feeling that somehow it didn't matter.

"Then go to him. Be ready."

Ladybug let the yo-yo release, dropping to the floor, allowing herself to fall to her knees, Adrien and Valerie a meter away across the marble. She heard Gabriel slamming his shoulder into the heavy portrait blocking the stairs, desperate to break through it, to get to them. But she didn't have time to help him come to his son. She didn't have time for anything. She couldn't believe this had happened, that she had failed so completely. What good were her powers if this is where they had brought her? Tears blurred Adrien from her sight, her strength leaving her. She couldn't move, couldn't crawl the last little distance to hold Adrien's hand. She didn't have it in her to watch the light leave his eyes. She didn't know what to do.

Stay still. Chat's calm, loving voice, a rainbow resting on her hand, the one that curled around the yo-yo. A beep in her ear as another minute passed. A shadow along the floor.

Trust me, my lady.

 **Author's note: Are you still with me? Adrien, you poor darling, why do you have to be such a hero? But how else could it have worked? I believe there will be two chapters after this one. Thank you for reading, and especially thank you to those who review every chapter. I wish I could take you all out for ice cream or something.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Deepest Wound

**Chapter Ten: The Deepest Wound**

"Adrien, stay where you are!" Plagg commanded, a tiny voice of reason in the coming dark, holding tight to the inside fabric of Adrien's fencing vest where he'd been doing his best not to be smothered since Adrien had put it on. He felt truly helpless hidden here, particularly as Adrien used the last of his waning energy to ignore his warning, to dash across the hall to save his father from Valerie's lightning attack.

Plagg recognized it, though he had forgotten its name. He'd seen her use it before, had watched Nooroo teach it to her. The point of spiraling the whip directly in front of her was to cut down on the time and space it would take for its length to unfold all the way backward and then forward again. The speed and the intensity were both increased, an attack so sharp it broke the sound barrier. It was a move for confined spaces, an actual battlefield. It was meant to slit throats. Plagg had even once seen it used, not by Valerie, to decapitate someone. To his knowledge, she was one of only a handful of people capable of using the technique. That Valerie was employing it now told Plagg that she had fallen far, that she had been hurt so badly that this was her only answer. The akuma was eating her alive.

Gabriel went down on his knees in front of Adrien, pushed just barely out of the way while Plagg's Chosen stood precariously balanced in the kill zone. But Adrien was shorter than Gabriel, standing in a slightly different place. For an attack as precise as this one, these tiny differences were a matter of life and death. Instead of ripping out Adrien's throat, the whip opened a gash up his cheek, across the bridge of his nose, and into his opposite eye, and suddenly Plagg was showered in blood. He closed his eyes and ducked his head against the salt and copper flood of it, feeling the dizzying change in momentum as Adrien fell back. Eyes still closed, he noted the jarring of Adrien knocking against something as he toppled backward, and then his stomach jumped into his mouth as they dropped from the upper floor.

We're falling, his mind registered. Too far. Too fast. He opened his eyes to see the jagged, broken edge of the floor raising over him, impending doom racing through his body. Plagg risked being seen as he darted out from his hiding place, placing himself under Adrien's head, using all his strength to brace it as they made contact with the floor. He heard the sharp crack of snapping bones, but he couldn't do anything about that but wince inwardly. Adrien landed hard on his right hip and shoulder, crushing them both, several of his ribs and his knee following after, but Plagg remained at his head, protecting his skull and those seven crucial, tiny vertebrae at the neck that would have killed Adrien instantly if they had snapped apart. White dust clouded up, then resettled. Plagg curled himself around Adrien's neck as he fell onto his back, hidden in his hair, watching as rainbows appeared brightly over him from the prism Nooroo held to the window.

He clung to his Chosen, as tightly as possible, as if he were still supporting him against the fall even though the damage was done now. But he was listening, intent on the inner workings of Adrien's system. Dimly, he could hear the screaming, from Ladybug, from Gabriel, as they verbalized their shock and horror at what just happened. He wanted to join them. But what he really wanted to hear was inside, not out. He closed his eyes to focus.

The frantic rush of Adrien's heart came to him first, fighting, straining, a trapped bird in a too-small cage, needing to be everywhere at once but finding constraint at every turn. Rapid, erratic beats that felt desperately the need to rush blood to the many injured areas, oxygenate the wounds as much as possible. Plagg heard the abrupt change as Adrien's brain switched from that hopeless mission and the blood began to move inward to the core in a preservation instinct. Shock.

Adrien took a shallow breath, then another, more sounds for Plagg to use to diagnose just what sort of damage they were facing. The air hissed inside his chest. One of the broken ribs had pierced the lung; it was beginning to collapse. There would be bleeding. Adrien whimpered in pain. Plagg hurt for him.

"I'm here," Plagg told him, speaking directly into his ear, hiding in the golden waves of his hair, trying not to slip in the growing patch of blood dripping from the wound on his face. His left eye was swelling shut. "I won't leave you. It's . . . going to be fine. You're going to be fine, Adrien." Lies. The truth was that Adrien had been weak before the fall, his body struggling already. Now it lay crushed on the floor and there was nothing Plagg could do except hasten it to death. He couldn't comfort Adrien like Nooroo. He couldn't heal him like Tikki. He'd actually done nothing but make every situation worse since Adrien had used him to become Chat Noir on Christmas Eve. He was a danger to everyone who touched him, a cancer, a plague. His only hope was for Ladybug to use her Miraculous Charm before Adrien stopped breathing. He wasn't sure how long she had left before she would change back, but he suspected strongly that however many minutes it was, Adrien had less.

"Plagg," Adrien said, a summons, a plea.

"I'm here. I'm with you," Plagg reaffirmed. "Don't move."

"Everyone's ok?" Plagg pushed his forehead against the smallest vertebrae of Adrien's neck, feeling his ears droop. Everyone except you, kitten.

"You saved your dad," Plagg answered, even though he didn't really care about anyone else right at this second. There were still big things going on around them. The akuma, the fading light, the used Lucky Charm. But Plagg's whole world right now was literally on top of him as he pillowed Adrien's head, tucked into the hollow where the neck curved between skull and shoulders, wishing there were something more he could do.

"Help her," Adrien commanded. Plagg didn't care who he meant, Ladybug, Nooroo, Valerie. He wasn't going anywhere. He was staying with his Chosen. "The rainbow."

"I'm not leaving you, Adrien," Plagg repeated. Not again. Not for an instant. Not your last moments. Not on your life.

"Plagg, it hurts," Adrien told him, and he tried to hold him tighter. He hated losing Chosen, especially if it happened during a battle. Flashes of past faces came to him now. It was the most debilitating feeling ever. Each time he knew that this was it. It couldn't be worse. Then it happened again and he realized how he could be so wrong. Yet this time, with Adrien, he knew for certain. This time, if he lost him, there would be no sharper hurt. If he lost Adrien, he would shatter the Miraculous and lose himself into that spirit place where time moves differently, where everything blurs. "Plagg?"

"Not for much longer," he assured him, either way knowing it would be true. "You're so strong. Hold on."

Valerie cast her shadow across Adrien as she descended from the upper floor, causing Plagg to tense. What would she do? How dangerous was she to the boy she had already broken? But there was a stillness to her now as she settled on her knees at his side, her face softened, her drooping wings spreading out to either side of her like the folds of a mourning cloak. A rainbow danced over her wrist as she placed her damaged hand on Adrien's cheek where her whip had cut him. Adrien also raised a hand to her scar, his thumb tracing the older injury, a twin to his own. They considered each other with their remaining eye. Plagg heard Ladybug sobbing. Why wasn't she here? What was she doing? Wasting precious seconds.

And why was Nooroo continuing to hold the prism up to the light? This was her chance! Valerie was so still right now, a statue, an extension of the marble around them. If only Plagg could remove the akuma himself, but he knew better than to try. While he shared the kwami ability of crossing through physical barriers, doors, locks, only Nooroo could touch the akuma without having it affect her negatively. He could only imagine what he might do if he touched it, the way his emotions were tearing him apart right now. He didn't think anyone in the mansion would live through his chaos. He'd caused enough trouble already without even meaning to. It would have to be Nooroo. Why wouldn't she help him? Couldn't she see how in trouble they were? How important this was?

"Adrien," Valerie said, her voice raw, but sounding more like herself again, more like the person who had discovered Adrien on his knees in the snow in the courtyard. "Why?"

"Because . . ." Adrien answered, struggling to speak. "I couldn't let you . . . Mom wouldn't want either of you hurt."

"Emilie," Valerie sobbed the name, over a decade of loneliness contained in one word. "You weren't supposed to be involved in this." Blood dripped onto the floor beside Plagg as Adrien coughed, a shudder going through him. Valerie winced in pity. "But look what I've done to you. Your mother-"

"Don't worry about me; Ladybug will fix it," he told her, complete conviction, even though Ladybug was not moving, not doing anything. "Just as soon as we save you."

"I'm not worth your life," Valerie replied, with equal belief. She lifted her head, looking for Ladybug, possibly with the intent of instructing her to use her charm. Plagg agreed that now was the time, but with only half his heart. He knew why Ladybug was hesitating. He knew that they still needed to purify the akuma, that the rioting in Paris would not stop until they did. But with Nooroo not coming either, he wasn't sure what to do about Valerie. He had a flickering hateful thought of allowing Gabriel to run her through with Adrien's sword if it meant that Adrien could live. He hated himself for it. He knew it wasn't really her fault. 

"Shh, that's not true," Adrien told her. "You're so important."

"Adrien."

"Once upon a time," Adrien began the story, so quiet, his words tinged with blood and ruin, a hollow quality to them stemming from the tear in his lung. Valerie put her hand over his on her face, her eyes closing. "There was a beautiful, sad rainbow. The kind chained to a pot of gold, forced to fulfill wishes that were not her own." He paused to catch his breath; Valerie let hers out in a pained gasp. Ladybug dropped from the ceiling.

"But one day a storm came by, and with a single strike of lightning, freed the rainbow from her prison. Before she knew what had happened, before she could say thank you, the storm moved on, a distant, alluring power." Another breath. It was all he could do to keep talking. Plagg watched Valerie carefully as her face tightened in pain, in memory. She was changing. His words were doing something to her. He willed Adrien to keep going; for Valerie to keep still. He willed Nooroo to come down and catch the akuma. He willed himself not to hope too hard.

Meanwhile, Gabriel succeeded in breaking through the portrait, tearing down the final staircase and skidding to a stop when he saw Adrien, saw the cost of his salvation. Then he looked at Valerie, at the places where she touched his son, a tightness in his jaw, a sign of desired vengeance. "You get away from him," he hissed at Valerie through completely clenched teeth.

"Enough," Nooroo called from high up, next to the window, the voice of an angel. "You will honor his sacrifice."

Gabriel tried to look toward the source of the voice, but the setting sun was too brilliant around her, forcing him to flinch away. Ladybug had crawled to Adrien's side, holding onto the hand that wasn't on Valerie's face.

"He doesn't want you to fight," Ladybug told Gabriel firmly, looking ready to fly at him herself if it looked like he would try anything now. "Come here and be with him; he needs you."

Gabriel and Valerie shared a grudging look of truce before he dropped obediently silent above his son's head, acknowledging that Adrien had put his hand on Valerie in friendship, laying his own hand carefully on his unbroken shoulder, listening.

"Go on, Adrien," Ladybug invited, her voice sad, affectionate, as helpless as Plagg felt. Begging him to keep talking, to keep breathing. She kept looking toward the window, the expression on her face a mirror to Plagg's urgency. Come down, Nooroo. Adrien is holding her still, but he can't do this for long. What are you doing? "Please, tell us about the rainbow."

"Okay," Adrien whimpered, struggling to stay awake, and Plagg knew he would do whatever Ladybug asked even if it killed him. "The . . the rainbow followed the storm, always arriving just as it was leaving, one step behind. She was admired by all who saw her; she was begged to stay, to stop following the storm. It was dangerous, she was warned. She should stay where she would be safe." Another pause as he gasped. Valerie bent over Adrien as if she wished she could breathe for him or take his place. Plagg clung to the softness of his hair, pushing his face into it. His pure, golden boy. What was Nooroo doing? What was the sense of this? Just sitting here around Adrien, watching him die, listening to him tell this story. Plagg tried to see her, up there in the window, so far away from the suffering on the floor. Was this some sort of twisted revenge for her because he'd said that she should be willing to sacrifice Valerie for the greater good? Why had he even said that? What a cruel thing to do. She wouldn't do that, though, right?

So why wasn't she using this moment to do what they needed done? Another spot disappeared from Ladybug's earring. Another minute closer to the end.

"Valerie," Adrien said, like he couldn't see her, like she wasn't right there, like he didn't have his hand on her. "Valerie, you're the storm."

"I know," she replied, tired, resigned. "The chaos, the noise, the dark."

"No," Adrien explained. "The cleanse, the power, and the new start." He cupped her face so tenderly, holding the hurricane in his palm, and she bowed to him in complete submission.

"And the rainbow," Adrien continued, the entire circle hanging on his every word. "She wanted to be with the storm who had set her free, who had taught her to race the wind. Eventually, she caught her, and they made beautiful patterns together, had many adventures, complimenting each other perfectly, the light and the dark. Until very suddenly –" He cut off, beginning to shiver. Valerie opened her eyes, worried. "Father?" He asked, interrupting his tale, noticing Gabriel for the first time.

"Adrien?" Gabriel choked, all tattered inside and out.

"Could you move whatever's on my chest? I can't . .. breathe very well."

Valerie began to cry. Ladybug hadn't stopped since he'd fallen.

"But there's nothing," Gabriel began, shaking his head. Plagg reconsidered taking a shot at the akuma in Valerie's heart. If Nooroo couldn't bring herself to do it, then maybe he should. He knew it wasn't fair, that her Chosen was just as important to her as his was, and yet, well, that's the reason he was called Chosen in the first place. Because Plagg had picked him above everyone else. He always would. And he couldn't stand that they were all just sitting here while he was hurting so much. Waiting for who knew what?

"Very suddenly," Adrien said, speaking through his pain, still trying to tell this story as the rainbows slowly faded around them. The shadows were lengthening. The sun almost down. He coughed again, more blood. Ladybug cringed over him, half paralyzed. Plagg looked at Valerie, trying to separate the sound of her heartbeat from Adrien's in his ears, both of them very weak, trying to pinpoint exactly where it was. Wondering how much he was willing to risk if he could just save his boy. Wondering if it hadn't been thoughts like this that had made Valerie take the akuma into her in the first place.

"Suddenly the storm disappeared without a trace," Gabriel continued when it became obvious that Adrien could not. Plagg froze, surprised. "The rainbow was very . . . very sad to lose her friend. Her only comfort was to rest in a large, deep-rooted tree, one that had once been damaged by the storm. The tree did not love the storm the way his rainbow did, nor could he see the new, stronger growth in him that had taken place because of what the storm had done to him." Gabriel closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "But the tree loved the rainbow dearly and hung bits of glass in his branches to try and brighten her light. Together, the strength of the tree and the tender beauty of the rainbow persuaded a . . . a young sunbeam to join them, which made the rainbow very bright indeed. Oh, Adrien," Gabriel groaned as the weight of his words settled on him. Plagg doubted he'd ever thought much of this child's story before. This might be the first time he'd ever recited it out loud.

"Please," Adrien begged, clinging to Ladybug's hand, his face turned toward Valerie. Gabriel nodded, bowing his head.

"And though she was mostly content, she felt faded without her storm. She wanted her back." Again he had to pause, overcome. Ladybug put a hand on his arm in support, urging him on. "She wanted her to know the happiness that they did, to share it with them. She knew that however beautiful her life, it would not be fully complete without knowing what had happened to her old friend. So one day she kissed the sunbeam and the tree, knowing they would be safe if they stayed together, that the tree would shelter the sunbeam, and the sunbeam would nourish the tree, and she went . . went in search of the storm." Gabriel's voice broke at the end, as if something had just occurred to him, as if the meaning of his wife's fairy tale were only now becoming clear to him. He looked at Valerie like he'd never seen her before.

"She loves you," Adrien confirmed to Valerie, his voice frail and gasping. "So do I. Please, let us help you. It will be ok. I promise."

"I want to believe you," Valerie answered, even though she hated promises, hated accepting help. "But I just . . can't. I don't know how. I've . . . failed so many times."

"Valerie," Adrien said, impossibly concerned, more worried for her than he was for himself.

"The things I've done," Valerie cried, curling inward, removing her hand from Adrien's face. Plagg studied her, feeling the end rushing in on them. He'd never seen an akuma victim act this way. But then again, none of them had done what she had, none of them knew what she knew.

Adrien traced the scar on Valerie's face, remaining the only person to ever touch it. The only person who had never cringed away from her appearance. The purest soul that Plagg had ever seen. That he would ever lose.

"I know," Adrien said, voice full of sorrow and pain and love. "I let you get hurt. I wasn't there for you."

"Shh, Adrien, don't. You didn't -"

"Please forgive me," Adrien asked, clearly, his hand falling down, too weak to hold it up anymore, and Plagg watched something in Valerie release as something cracked apart inside her. She sobbed, pressing her hands to her chest as blackness began pouring out of it. Adrien had done it, saved her, gently broken her heart with his words, with his love. He'd succeeded, without Chat Noir, without a cataclysm. Nooroo had known what she was doing; she'd been right to wait. Valerie's wings dissolved. Her gloves and whip disappeared, leaving her once again in her work uniform from the hotel. A black butterfly separated itself from her, fluttering, disoriented. Valerie slumped to her side next to Adrien as soon as it was out, her own wounds severe, all of her strength taken, a fragile peace over her features.

The rainbows around them vanished, leaving only shadow as Nooroo finally raced from the window to Ladybug, passing her the Lucky Charm before rushing to Valerie's side, reunited at last. "Save them," Plagg heard her beg frantically as she touched Valerie's cheek, and he added his petition to hers. Be quick, now. Plagg apologized to Nooroo inside his head, for doubting her, for thinking that she wasn't as involved as she should have been. He could hear in her plea how desperate she was, how hard it had been for her to stay up there at the window, to keep Emilie's rainbow bright on the scene to make them all remember. How she had likely been counting the seconds too.

But it was done. The akuma out in the open and its victims still on the floor. Valerie's and Adrien's eyes were closed; their breathing slowed alarmingly. Plagg actually couldn't hear Adrien anymore, not his breath, barely his heart. He'd stopped trembling, a frightening chill on his skin. Gabriel had a hand on each of their heads, the light and the dark, also looking to Ladybug.

Trance-like, Ladybug stood up and swooped her yo-yo out, catching the akuma in its purifying white light, wrapping it close to remove its taint, before releasing it to go where it pleased. It flew at first to Gabriel, the one who had let it loose into the world, fluttering before his gaze, but in the end, it came to rest on Valerie's blouse, right over her heart, its wings closing and opening in relaxing arcs, a piece of her come back to rest. Ladybug watched it, completely transfixed, her face shattered and open. Plagg could not hear Adrien breathing.

"Adrien, hang in there now," Plagg commanded, pushing into the back of his neck, willing Ladybug to hurry. There may still be a chance. "You did it. It's almost over. Stay with me, please."

"Ladybug, what are you waiting for?" Gabriel asked her, concern and fear making his voice hard, knowing from many lost battles what she was supposed to do next. "Finish this."

"Don't be afraid, Ladybug," Nooroo agreed from where she hovered close to Valerie's face. "Only you can save them, but you have to do it now."

But Ladybug did look afraid, and Plagg could tell that much of her confidence had been stripped from her tonight. There was hurt, love, and uncertainty in her eyes, but she was out of time. If she wanted her civilian face to remain a secret, she was going to have to leave. He could see how much she didn't want to. She looked at the piece of glass in her hand, and Plagg noticed her faith wavering. Like she didn't believe it would work. That this time the damage had been too great. That maybe she would invoke the charm but Adrien would still be lost. And even though he knew Tikki's power, knew that this wasn't how it worked, Plagg found himself doubting along with her.

"Ladybug?" Adrien whispered, calling to her with his last breath, his faith never wavering for an instant. His voice was so soft that Plagg didn't think there would be any way for her to hear him, but she was completely tuned to his every movement. If only Adrien could see how she was looking at him right now, her whole world on the floor at her feet. Her face tightened. She gripped the prism, bending her knees slightly just before she launched it into the air.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She said, her voice breaking, and a swarm of restoration split from the prism like a firework. Ladybug looked once more at Adrien, as if she expected to never see him again, before following the tide out of the house. Her time all used up.

BB

Adrien had been on the receiving end of Ladybug's Miraculous Charm many times before, each a unique experience. Sometimes it felt like being scrubbed over with a new towel. Or being lifted on a kite string. Covered in the strokes of tiny wings. Caught in a warm rainfall. The soothe of drinking something hot after coming in from the cold. Each sensation fresh, warm, and lovely.

This time it felt like electricity. A lightning bolt cracking apart the rainbow in his mind's eye and splitting through every vein in his body. He felt it strongly along the main artery of his neck, streaking through the delicate systems of his hands, sparking tendrils up and down his spine, hot and fierce and invigorating. The final thunderclap beat hard in his heart before releasing him, gasping in the aftermath. The vestiges of energy twisted him over, palms against the floor, back curling upward. He felt like a sprinter just finishing a race, taking in as much air as possible into his newly repaired lungs. It felt so good, easy, greedy breaths. He felt something wiggle inside his collar against his neck, against his pulse, then registered hands taking hold of him at his shoulders, gripping him tight.

"Adrien? Adrien, look at me!" He recognized the panic before he recognized the voice. Lifting his head, he opened his eyes, both of them restored by the charm, brand new. They met with Gabriel's, staring at him fearfully. "Oh, Adrien!" Gabriel said, pulling Adrien up and scooting closer in one motion, holding him close, both of them on their knees on the clean floor. "My son!" Gabriel ran his hand over Adrien's back, up until he could grab a handful of his hair, then closed his protective circle so tight that Adrien thought his ribs might shift.

"It's ok, Dad," he comforted, feeling wetness against his neck, thinking of pulling back but waiting, letting his father take his time. Even as he let Gabriel hold him, he turned his head toward the open front door where Ladybug had fled, smiling at the memory of her being here just a moment ago. He knew she would fix it. He knew she would win. Just in time. She always would.

Faces peeked in at the doorway now. The officers from before, the red and blue lights of their vehicles outside standing out dramatically now in the new darkness.

"Dad?" Adrien patted his father's arm, trying to get his attention. "The police?"

"Mr. Agreste?" The squad leader called as Gabriel slowly extracted himself off his son. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Gabriel affirmed, never taking his eyes off Adrien. "Yes, thank you."

"Could we take a few minutes?" The officer continued, his tone implying that he knew it was a bad time but he had to do his job. "Ask a couple questions for our report?"

"Now?" Gabriel asked, not moving.

"A few minutes," the officer reiterated, staring at the entryway with a bemused sort of expression on his face. People touched by the power of an akuma that were later restored by Ladybug didn't always remember what had happened to them. Part of the protection of the charm was sealing off the memories that would haunt them if they knew what they had done while under the influence of evil. This man looked as if he knew that there was time missing from his head, but he wasn't about to dig too deep to find it.

Adrien followed his eyes around the house, filling with awe as always to see what the charm was truly capable of, what his lady could do. The floor and railing of the upper hallway were repaired. The portrait restored to the wall. Gabriel's suit untorn and clean. Valerie's cane in one piece just a few feet away on the floor.

"Valerie," Adrien said softly, dipping gently out from under Gabriel's hand on his shoulder to retrieve the cane. How much would she remember? He stood straight, holding the cane in both hands, seeing his father giving him a slight nod and behind him, he saw Valerie just sitting up from where she'd fallen. He needed to be with her, help her in these delicate moments of returning from deep pain. Gabriel surrendered to the officers at the doorway, but did not let them come in. Adrien hurried to Valerie's side, going down on his knees beside her.

"Take it easy," he encouraged her, putting a hand on her arm, helping her to sit up and placing her cane across her lap. "You're ok."

"Adrien?" She asked, orienting herself.

"It's over," he assured her, then steadied them both as she threw herself into his arms. He rested his head on hers, relieved to have her back, that she wasn't angry at him anymore.

"You crazy, wonderful boy!" She exclaimed, separating only enough so she could put her hands on either side of his face, joining their eyes.

"Valerie!" He yelped, astonished, but she wasn't ready to listen to him yet.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "What I've done. I almost killed you."

"Stop," Adrien ordered, keeping his hands on her shoulders. Ladybug had pulled her out of darkness. He wasn't about to let her slip back in. Not when there was so much to be happy about right now. "It's done. This was just a painful road to something amazing."

"Amazing?" She repeated, unconvinced. Adrien took her left hand, pulling it forward under their faces, pushing his palm to hers, stretching all their fingers up, waiting for her realize, watching her face. Valerie's mouth opened, looking at her fingers, her restored and undamaged hand. It started shaking against Adrien's. She drew back, using her perfect hands to cover her equally perfect face, feeling the new skin there. "Ladybug," she whispered.

"She made you new again," Adrien told her, pulling her wrists, uncovering her face. He brushed her hair back, wanting to see her, wanting to see what she looked like without the brutal scar. "You're beautiful."

"You saved my life," she told him, serious and grateful and overwhelmed.

"You saved mine first," he answered. They smiled at each other, a pause of mutual appreciation disturbed only by Nooroo, who couldn't contain her joy any longer. Adrien allowed himself to laugh as he watched the butterfly kwami zip around her true mistress, in and out of her hair, brushing her wings along her cheek, pushing against her shoulders, tugging on her ear as Valerie bowed under the affection, her shoulders hunching up as Nooroo tickled her with her energetic movement. The white butterfly too remained close to Valerie, shifting from her shirt to her hair, a living barrette.

"I knew you were alive," Nooroo told her, at last coming to a stop inches in front of Valerie's nose. Adrien cupped his hand over his neck as he felt Plagg press gently against him as well. But they would have their chat later. This moment was for Nooroo and her Chosen, together again at last. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Hello Roo," Valerie greeted, her face hopeful and sad. Adrien knew how she felt, how happiness and guilt were an uneasy mixture in a heart, the want for something, so strong, conflicted with the crush of not deserving it. He reached into his pocket for the brooch, holding it out to her.

"I think this belongs to you," he said, nodding at it, but Valerie made no move to touch it. As if it were tainted now by the violence that had happened because of it.

"No," she confessed, looking at Nooroo. "Not anymore."

"But Valerie," Nooroo protested, her face falling.

"I lost you," Valerie said, the words coming out of her like the blackness of the akuma's poison. "I used your power to attack people. I used Plagg's even worse. No. I am no longer a Chosen. We need to return your Miraculous to the Guardian."

Nooroo's eyes welled up in rejection. She had likely imagined a very different reunion than this. While Adrien could understand both of their feelings on whether or not Valerie should take back her Miraculous, he was definitely on Nooroo's side in the affirmative. He opened his mouth to begin a list of reasons why Valerie should listen to her kwami.

Gabriel interrupted by clearing his throat before Adrien could start, striding strong into their presence, his interview concluded with the police. He stood with his hands behind his back, characteristically stiff and straight, another shadow in the entryway. He and Valerie stared at each other with uneasy, wild expressions. Like they weren't sure what they should do. Like they were frightened of what the other would do. They were no longer actively circling each other seeking out a position to strike, but they were still watching for one.

"Gabriel," Valerie spoke first, her posture suggesting submission, Nooroo seeking shelter on her shoulder, under her hair. Adrien moved to put his arms around her for protection as he had before when he shielded her from Master Fu. Because he knew his father. Knew that he would be outraged by Valerie's attack on their home and his family, forgetting that it had been his akuma that had started the whole thing. He didn't know what he would do to her, but he knew it would be cold, quick, and sharp, and he wanted to keep her safe from that. But Valerie, stronger now than she had been for years, pushed his hands away to get to her feet. She held the cane reflexively, even though she no longer needed it. "You don't have to say anything. I'm leaving."

"No, wait," Adrien protested, but she gave him a final look that quieted him. A look of warning. The wrongness of it chilled him. This wasn't how things were supposed to end. Not after what had happened. Not after what Ladybug had given them. He sent a pleading look to his father, remembering that he had been Hawkmoth, remembering the horrible things he'd said to Valerie, the equally vicious things she'd said back. He didn't want them to end that way, both of them half out of their minds, driven into a hateful frenzy by the akuma. He didn't want Valerie to leave. So he looked at his father with all the persuasion he could find pushed to the front of his eyes. Don't do this, please. Don't send her away where I won't be able to find her. She can't disappear. It's not right.

Gabriel stopped Valerie with a firm hand on her shoulder as she walked past him, a pained look on his face. They stood still that way, unmoving, Gabriel's hand tight and her shoulder underneath it equally tense. She bowed her head, as did he, neither one able to look at the other, but Valerie looked ready for whatever final word he wanted on the matter. Ready to be told in detail her transgressions. The ones she was already punishing herself for. Adrien knew better than to move.

"Wait," Gabriel said, his voice expressionless.

"Let me go, Gabriel," Valerie requested, still not looking at him. "It will be as before. I'll never contact your family again."

"I believe the terms were limited to Emilie," he recited, eyes on the floor. She turned slightly toward him. Adrien allowed himself to hope. "And it seems to me our current situation merits the dissolvement of that particular arrangement."

"What are you saying?" Valerie tested him, the air between them charged and strange. He removed his hand from her, completely closing his eyes now to make it easier for him to speak, folding his arms across his chest, which looked to Adrien like a more protective than threatening gesture.

"That I'd like your help," he answered, shocking Adrien. His father never asked for help. Something big had happened today. Maybe it had been Valerie's words, or the Miraculous Charm, or something else, but this tiny admission was a huge change in Gabriel. "Beginning with my assistant," he added. Valerie looked puzzled for a moment before realization hit her hard enough that she had to close her eyes. Adrien looked up the stairs, thinking of Nathalie alone on the floor in her office.

"I can't," she denied, shaking her head. "It's been so long."

"You can," Nooroo prompted, eager to work with her, to show her that they could be together, that there was still a reason for her to hold on to her Miraculous. She flapped out into the open again, making Gabriel startle a little to see her, to see how different she acted around Valerie. Adrien felt Plagg shift at her boldness, perhaps in jealousy that he had to stay hidden. "Valerie, you can. This is why you were Chosen. You can heal her."

Adrien put a gentle hand on her arm and again held out the brooch, keeping a close eye on his father. Gabriel looked at it, his face full of dark memory, of deep desire. Adrien felt a pinch in his heart that there was still so much sadness in his home. He felt that it should be gone now, but the adults around him seemed unable to put it down. They'd carried it so long. He flinched away, almost ducking behind Valerie when Gabriel reached for the Miraculous, not willing to let him touch it again. But when he saw the expression on his father's face, he let his hand fall open for him. He wanted to trust him. No one starts as a villain, he reminded himself. The lucky ones don't end that way either.

Gabriel picked up the brooch, holding it reverently, a fallen star, a lost wish. He sighed, then turned to Valerie in order to pin it to her shirt, directly over her heart. "This is yours," he told her authoritatively. She held herself motionless, but Nooroo flew over Gabriel's hand, kissing the back of it. Adrien saw him wince slightly at the kindness, at the gesture of forgiveness, saw the guilt, doubt, and want in his eyes.

"It wouldn't have worked the way you thought it would," Nooroo explained softly, looking hard into Gabriel's eyes. He looked as though he were struggling to keep eye contact. "The cost would have been too high, no matter how pure the wish. You're doing the right thing, Gabriel. And I know it doesn't seem like it . . .but there are still so many reasons to hope." He nodded, silently, letting her words sink into him like medicine.

"Valerie?" Adrien asked her once her Miraculous was part of her again, hoping she would agree to use it, taking the cane from her so her hands would be free. She closed her fingers over the brooch, her head turned toward the stairs, a hesitancy in her posture.

"Roo?" She spoke to her kwami, hovering at her ear.

"We're ready," the spirit assured. Valerie took a deep breath, steadying herself. It had been so long for her, this part of her identity that she had likely taken so much for granted until it had been ripped away from her. Adrien understood. He hadn't been able to be Chat once since Plagg had been returned to him, and they hadn't been separated near so long. He knew the guilt-laden desire of it, and the fear that it wouldn't be the same as it used to be.

"Wings rise," Valerie said, barely loud enough to hear, and Nooroo flew into the heart of the brooch. Adrien stepped back as Valerie transformed, properly this time, into Zephyr. The heroine version had lilac wings striped in gold and spotted white. She wore a lavender colored body suit; the whip still a black coil around her waist, though much less threatening. Her mask fluttered open across her face as if a living butterfly had landed there and spread its wings over her cheeks, her dark eyes now spots against the gold and white. The purified akuma was forced off her hair, but stayed close, joined by others until she was the eye of a tiny, winged snowstorm. She stood a solid power before them, glorious and light.

Adrien bowed low to her before offering his arm to lead her up the staircase, forcing himself to be slow and courteous about it, though he wanted to pull her at a run. She smiled fondly at him, her sadness just a shine over her eyes, allowing him to escort her instead of flying to the upper floor on her own. Gabriel followed, quiet in his own thoughts.

Nathalie remained where Adrien had left her, though the office door had been repaired. She looked younger to Adrien, lying there without her glasses, brow furrowed in disrupted rest. He let go of Zephyr to kneel above her, putting his hand against her forehead, remembering her anguish. Her physical wounds were gone, the places she'd clawed open with her own fingernails, but even the Charm could not remove the pain of her memories, could not stop them from crippling her again.

"I don't understand, Gabriel," Zephyr said as she studied the sleeping assistant. "You could have done this yourself."

"No," Gabriel denied. "After what she's been through, I couldn't bring myself to even try. Some things require a trained hand, and a woman's touch." Zephyr turned her attention to him as he spoke, her eyes gentle and discerning, slightly confused, like he wasn't who she thought he was. She broke the moment by shaking her head, opening her hand in front of her expectantly. One of the butterflies surrounding her immediately came to rest in her palm. She covered it a moment, holding it close against her chest, and when she took her hand away it was shining with an internal light, brilliant and sparkling. Zephyr held it out for Gabriel to inspect, as if to say, "this is how it's done."

"Peace," she said to the butterfly. The shining creature left Zephyr's hand, flying straight for Nathalie, vanishing into her heart like a flame's spark. Nathalie stiffened slightly as it entered her, then her muscles relaxed, her face softening.

"What did you do?" Adrien asked, not sure how it worked or what had happened, crouched over Nathalie, waiting for her to wake up. He was slightly apprehensive that the butterfly had gone into her. The last time that had happened, it hadn't been a good thing. But those were corrupted powers, dark, damaging emotions. This time it looked pure and healthy, like water cleansing a wound. "Did you take her memories?"

"No," Zephyr answered, her tone gentle. "I can't change a memory, but I can change how it makes her feel. Her past will have no power over her now." She opened her hand again, a second butterfly flying into place. Zephyr turned toward Gabriel.

"And for you?" She asked, extending her hand slightly. "Would you like the chains on your heart undone?"

"What?" Gabriel said, suddenly confused. But this was part of Zephyr's power, reading emotion in others, the strength of perfect empathy. Even if he didn't know what he felt, it was open to her. "No," he protested as he understood what Zephyr was offering him. Both of his hands raised against her using her powers on him. "I'd rather you didn't."

Zephyr nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "That is a work Emilie began. It's only right to let her finish." She turned then to Adrien, still on the floor beside Nathalie, watching everything intently, so he could remember every tiny detail.

"For you, dear sunbeam," she said, giving the butterfly a little push by blowing gently on it. Adrien wasn't sure he wanted or needed anything pressed into his heart, but this butterfly simply landed on his chest where warmth spread from its touch all across his body, covering him in security and love. It felt like a mother's embrace, the sure knowledge that he was needed, wanted, the comfort that he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

"Wow," he heard himself exclaim softly, all of the lonely places in his heart now full. "Dad, you should reconsider."

Nathalie stirred beneath his hands, beginning to wake, before Gabriel could answer. Zephyr gave them a nod, moving to leave the room.

"You're not leaving?" Adrien asked, worried. There was still so much he wanted to ask her, so much they needed to work out, even if it did make sense for her to disappear before Nathalie could see her.

"If you can give us a moment," Gabriel added. "There are still some items I'd like to discuss."

"I'll wait outside," Zephyr said, closing the door behind her just as Nathalie's eyes opened, glazed with questions when she saw both Adrien and Gabriel hovering over her. She'd never been in this position before. Gabriel dropped to one knee beside her, which spurred her into nervous action.

"Sir!" She began, pushing herself off the floor until she was seated between them, her hand unconsciously moving to her head. "Forgive me," she continued, but seemed at a loss of what he should be forgiving her for.

"Take your time," Gabriel invited as Adrien put his arm around her. She met his eyes where he could clearly see that she would desperately like to know what had happened and why she was waking up on the floor. It was so unlike her, and she was not pleased.

"How are you feeling?" Adrien asked her, trying to gauge her memory as well as her condition.

"Fine," she answered without thinking, looking back and forth between them as if waiting for some sort of trap to spring. Zephyr may not have taken any of her memories, but it looked as though the Miraculous Charm had. Just as well.

"Indeed," Gabriel said, getting to his feet again and looking with purpose at Adrien. "Though to be safe, I think you should take the rest of the night off, Nathalie. Tomorrow as well if you feel you need to." She unconsciously checked her watch for the time, still looking rather dazed. Gabriel reached for her hand to help her up, but she seemed absolutely unable to accept it. After a moment of awkward motionlessness on both their parts, Gabriel stood straight and put his hands behind his back.

"I have a guest waiting for me," he told them, as if this afternoon had never happened, as if that guest weren't in any way remarkable. "Adrien, if you could please escort Nathalie to her quarters? After you've informed the kitchen that they should set an extra place for dinner tonight."

"Of course, Father," Adrien agreed. Gabriel bowed slightly to them before heading toward the door.

"Sir?" Nathalie called after him, causing him to pause but not to look back. "Thank you." It came out more as a question than a statement of gratitude. Gabriel half turned over his shoulder.

"Get some rest," he commanded gently, then disappeared. The second the door closed behind him, Nathalie slumped, startling Adrien.

"Whoa! Nathalie, you ok?" He asked her, leaning over her, trying to get her to look at him, realizing all of a sudden that Gabriel hadn't left because he was being horrible but because he knew that Nathalie would be more comfortable figuring out what had happened if she didn't have to admit to any weakness in his presence. He'd been doing her a kindness in leaving her to Adrien. He'd never realized his father knew her so well.

"Adrien, what happened?" She begged, leaning against the wall, draping her arms over her upturned knees, a rather sporty pose for a pantsuit. "Why are we on the floor? Please tell me I didn't pass out?"

"Kind of?" He told her, wondering how detailed he should be. "What's the last thing you remember?" She studied her hands as she searched her memory.

"I was getting you something to eat. OH! But I never brought it back to you, did I?" Adrien smiled at her distress, at her care.

"Actually you did," he assured her, skipping the part where he hadn't eaten it yet. "Then Dad's guest arrived, and you buzzed her in, but then yeah, I guess you did faint." She looked absolutely appalled at herself; Adrien had to hug her. "You've been working so hard," he said. "You've been taking care of me and not yourself lately, and I haven't made it easy. It's no wonder this happened."

"And how are you?" She asked, pulling him off so she could study him closely, dismissing everything he'd just said, though he could tell that it had touched her somehow. "You look a lot better."

"I'm great," Adrien said. "Better than I've been in a long time." She put her hand on his face, cupping the side of it, looking relieved.

"I'm glad," she said, and they both smiled. When Adrien stood and offered her his hand, she did take it. Together they made their way to the kitchen where Adrien was surprised to find the chef and his assistant. Had they been here the whole time? Did they even know about the akuma attack that had happened in the entryway? Or maybe they'd arrived after it was over? They gave him no indication either way, only accepted that there would be one extra plate and that was that.

"Thank you, Adrien," Nathalie said once they were back in the hall again. "I can make my way from here. You've got somewhere else you want to be right now, I can tell."

"Are you sure?" He checked, wondering exactly how she could tell. He did want to go see what Valerie and his father were talking about without him, but he also didn't want to leave Nathalie before making sure that she was absolutely all right. "You really scared us."

"I'm fine," she assured him, actually sounding like she truly meant it. "I'm . . . also feeling better than I have in a long time." He took her hand, kissing the top of it while she shook her head at him, thinking of Ladybug and Zephyr working together to give Nathalie this new peace. How wonderful it was and how he was looking forward to seeing how it might have changed her. "Off with you!" Nathalie shooed, taking her hand back. He grinned at her before heading up the stairs to his room for a few minutes with Plagg before joining his father.

The first thing he did was rip off the hot and uncomfortable fencing vest. He didn't need it anymore. Plagg toppled out of it as he gave it a shake, landing on the bed and not bothering to move from where he'd fallen.

"That's better," Adrien said for both of them. He knew that Plagg hadn't really enjoyed hanging out in the collar. He caught sight of the plate Nathalie had brought him before, a simple ham and cheese sandwich with grapes. And even though he knew that the bread would be too dry on the outside and too wet on the other, even though dinner would be in another ninety minutes or so, he also knew that he was still going to eat every single bite on that plate. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been as hungry as he was right this second.

But first he pulled out the cheese for Plagg, who was still on the bed, being rather quiet, actually.

"Plagg," he called him as he wolfed down the food. "Don't you want this?" Because Plagg hardly ever turned down cheese. Ever. He let himself chew and swallow three more bites before realizing that he was still eating alone. "Plagg?" He grudgingly set down the remnants of the sandwich so he could see what his kwami was doing. Why he was sitting so still, not talking, and not interested in food. "Hey, what's going on?"

"You eat it," was his only answer, wrenching Adrien's concern meter all the way up. He stretched out on the bed so he could be at eye level with Plagg, reaching out with one finger to trace the edges of his ears, trying to perk them up a little since they were so droopy.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm just . . . tired, Adrien."

"Then you should eat something. If you aren't into what I've got, I can go back to the kitchen-"

"Not that kind of tired."

"Okay," Adrien said, as if he understood. Before he could ask anything else, his phone began buzzing from the bedside table. Adrien rolled off the bed, snagging it on his way to check who was calling him. Nino.

"Hey," he answered, waiting for the onslaught of questions, hoping to keep the conversation brief so he could get back downstairs as soon as possible.

"Dude, you're all right! Man, I've been calling and calling. The police were all over your house, but I only just caught a glimpse of you and Ladybug shoving four of them outside. What happened?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," Adrien answered, trying to be flippant about it, keeping an eye on Plagg as he curled up tight. "Hawkmoth sends out an akuma, this one had it out for my dad, crashed into our house, Ladybug shows up and Poof Miraculous everything's just the way it was and we're having dinner soon."

"No Chat Noir, though?" Impossibly, Plagg curled up even tighter.

"Um, no, actually, I didn't see him," Adrien replied honestly. "No one else did either then?"

"Not a trace this time. Weird."

"He'll turn up? He always does." Adrien hated answering questions about where Chat Noir might be. It made him feel like something was wriggling down the back of his shirt.

"That's what we told Marinette," Nino said, though he sounded like she had needed a little more than his word for it. He sounded sort of defeated about it.

"Back up," Adrien insisted. "Where'd you see Marinette? What happened?"

"Well, Alya and me saw what was going down at your house while I was walking her home, so we decided to come check it out, right? But the police weren't letting anyone close, even though it was obvious that Ladybug had won and everything by this point, but they still were keeping everyone back, so we had no choice but to leave. We found Marinette not too far away." The way he said it made Adrien cold. Like something was off about finding her. Like he had reason to worry.

"Is she all right?" He asked, though how she wouldn't be was hard to imagine. She'd performed the charm. She'd purified the akuma. Everything was as it should be. Wasn't it? He looked at Plagg, who had his eyes closed.

"She said so? Could hardly understand her; she was crying pretty hard. We tried to tell her you were fine, but she was really worked up about it. And she kept asking if anyone had seen Chat Noir anywhere else in the city. She wasn't making a lot of sense, really, but you know how she is sometimes."

"Where is she now?" Adrien began pacing, like that would help him, keeping Plagg in sight, watching him close.

"Well, we took her home. Offered to stay with her since she was so shook up, but she didn't want us to. I think you should give her a call. She's really worried, for some reason."

"I'll do that. Thanks for the heads up."

"I got your back, man. Glad you're ok."

"See you tomorrow." He'd hung up without noticing if Nino had replied to his last statement, dialing Marinette as quickly as he could. Why would she be crying? Or worried? She knew her magic better than anyone. Knew there wasn't anything to worry about. Maybe she'd . . . had to work herself up to preserve her secret? That wasn't very convincing, but that was all he could think of. Her voicemail message came on, so he hung up and redialed. And again. And one more time.

"She's not answering, Plagg," he said out loud, as if his kwami hadn't noticed that.

"Give her time, Adrien," Plagg suggested. "You forget so easily, but we were the ones watching you die." He paused in his pacing, staring at the spirit.

"But you knew I'd be ok," he said simply. "Ladybug's charm puts everything right again. You both know that."

"No one trusts her like you do," Plagg said. "Look, I don't really want to talk about it right now, and I don't think she does either. She can see you called her; let her come to you when she's ready."

"What about you, then?" Adrien asked, scooping Plagg up in both hands. He didn't stay there, though. He immediately floated up and into his normal spot under Adrien's jacket, into the breast pocket on his shirt, curling up against Adrien's heartbeat.

"Give me time, too," Plagg said.

Confused, Adrien put a comforting hand over the lump of kwami against his chest. Then he sent a text to Marinette letting her know that everything was all right and asking her to call him when she could. Then he made his way from his room to see what was going on with Valerie and Gabriel, wondering why everyone except him seemed to be so against this being over. Everything was supposed to be all right now. Except everywhere he turned, it really wasn't.

 **Author's Note: This chapter makes me So Happy. My absolute favorite so far (yours?) And I know we are really close to being done but I have to say that I have this overwhelming compulsion to write about Gabriel, Emilie, and Valerie from when they were sixteen together at school. COMPELLED. Even though it has almost nothing to do with what's going on here. Would anyone like that? After this is finished, of course, but would that be fun to read? Like the time Valerie caught a bunch of crickets and released them in Gabriel's room and it took him four days to find all the irritating little chirping things keeping him up at night? Or how he would replace her textbooks with copies of** _ **The Idiot**_ **at random intervals?**

 **Or my personal favorite – how Emilie danced in the Nutcracker at Christmas time and got them tickets to the last show, but they had to go by train to where it was playing and they had to sit next to each other and Oh How Awful!**

 **Anyone? Just me?**

 **Anyway, with consideration to THIS story – I hope you're still enjoying it. But you know it is totally missing something. Like, I don't know. CHAT? Please, please, neko-child, we need you desperately.**


	11. Chapter 11: Accept None Other

**Chapter Eleven: Accept None Other**

It was Valerie, not Zephyr, who waited for Gabriel on the landing of the staircase, her hands clasped loosely in front of her as she studied the portrait, flexing repeatedly and unconsciously her repaired left hand, pausing to check her fingers as if she couldn't believe that she had them all again. Nooroo fluttered close by, more relaxed and happy than Gabriel had ever seen her as they talked softly together.

Now that her scars were healed, Valerie still very closely resembled the girl he'd gone to school with, the girl he had fought endlessly with as they clashed again and again about basically everything. She hated rich kids, despite being one. He couldn't relate to anyone who felt such strong need to dismiss conventional behavior. She thought he wasn't serious about Emilie. He thought she was a bad influence. She thought he didn't have an original thought in his head. He worried she might be right.

"Where's Adrien?" She asked when she saw he was coming down the stairs alone.

"He's taking care of Nathalie," he responded. "Though I imagine he'll join us again very soon."

"But you want to talk alone first," Valerie guessed, and he nodded. She'd never been slow. At anything.

"Follow me?" He invited, heading completely down the stairs to his study. Unlike Nathalie, Valerie kept pace with him at his side, like an equal. Like someone with the familiarity of a shared past. It bothered him, but not like it used to. Like all of his hate had been pulled out of him during their fight, bubbled up and boiled off. Or maybe it was because now that Emilie was gone, she was his best method of keeping her memory alive. Perhaps she was even the way they could both get her back if such a thing were possible. The way she used the power of the Miraculous. The things she could do with it, even with the akuma he'd sent to her. He'd never come close to maximizing its potential.

He opened the door for her, letting her enter first and appreciating the fact that she stopped dead when she saw the huge mosaic painting of Emilie on the far wall, done in yellows and golds, geometric shapes and abstract. He saw her take in the other photos too, Gabriel's favorites of Adrien's modeling shots. His perfect family. For a little while, they both remained still, looking at the photographs. Gabriel knew that they wouldn't have long to be alone with their past, for him to get the answers he was looking for, but he still didn't know exactly how he wanted to start. She probably knew already. She seemed to always know exactly what he was feeling. At least now he knew why.

"She looks so happy," Valerie said softly, gazing at the picture, wisely beginning with the one thing they could agree on. Neither one of them ever argued about how wonderful Emilie was. Their only safe topic. Except there was a bitterness here too. The years of separation that Gabriel had forced onto them. Nooroo floated close to her mistress, smoothing the dark waves of her hair, separating the strands, beginning a tiny braid at one temple, keeping silent. "She always wanted a family, especially a son."

Yes, her life had been as perfect as Gabriel could possibly make it. Except for that one thing, the one blemish on their marriage that nothing could take away. The biggest lie he had ever told her. The only lie he'd ever told her. The one that had taken her away from him in the end, maybe because she had felt deep in her heart that it had been a lie, or maybe because she just wanted to believe in the impossible.

"Gabriel, please tell me what happened?" Valerie implored, never taking her eyes off the portrait. "Where did she go?"

"Maybe you should go first?" He responded, feeling rather satisfied when she looked just as confused as he felt. He gestured at the kwami braiding her hair, at the familiarity between them. He'd never dreamed anything like that in all his theories about Valerie, about her disappearances, her drive, her distance. He still could hardly reconcile the idea that all the time he'd known her, somewhere close to her during all those days, Nooroo had been hidden. In her hair, in her schoolbag, in a pocket, somewhere. And he'd never seen a glimpse. "It seems you have more secrets than I do."

"Maybe not more," Valerie answered, a hardness to her jaw. "Just sooner."

"And?" Gabriel asked, impatient for an explanation. Woman and kwami exchanged glances and Gabriel felt himself being weighed between them. Did they owe him an explanation? Obviously, he felt they did, but it seemed that it was still up for debate. He decided to prompt them. "When did you receive the Miraculous? Who gave it to you? And why? What were you doing with Emilie that night? Do you think it could have anything to do with where she is now?" Valerie sighed, still looking rather anxiously at Nooroo.

"I think it may help," the spirit volunteered, which wasn't the answer Valerie wanted, judging from her face. "You both want the same things."

"But he . . . how can you forgive him so easily?" Valerie asked, and Gabriel felt odd that he was standing here listening to this. Nooroo smiled at her Chosen as if she were being silly.

"You've looked into his heart," she said, very calm. "How can you not forgive him?"

"Fine," Valerie agreed, reluctance in her voice, though she couldn't quite bring herself to look at Gabriel. He was rather grateful about that. He'd never liked how exposed he felt when she looked at him. "I was Chosen by the Guardian of the Miraculous when I was fourteen. I was meant to retrieve a spellbook from a man, a previous Guardian and Chosen, who stole it for his own gain." There was something in how she said it that put Gabriel on edge, but he couldn't tell if it was just the memory he had of feeling defensive around her or if there was actually anything to it here. He tried to put aside his feelings to process what she was saying. A rogue Guardian? Another Chosen – which one? Did that mean he too held a Miraculous? How many were there? Spellbook? _Fourteen_? "Emilie was helping me. At first by covering for me, helping me keep my secret, but eventually she too was given a Miraculous and began training with me to go after the book."

"Fourteen?" Gabriel echoed, thinking of Adrien, trying to imagine him as a Miraculous holder. He was fourteen. So young. Couldn't Ladybug and Chat Noir also be fourteen? But why choose a child for something so dangerous? He knew that he'd attacked them as Hawkmoth, countless times, but even he had lines he wouldn't cross. He just wanted their power, not their destruction, not their pain. Because he was still a husband and father, and they still were just children.

And yet, hadn't they thwarted him every time despite their youth? And when he thought back to when he met Valerie at sixteen, hadn't she seemed more than capable? He remembered watching her casually defeat her entire martial arts class, first one at a time, then two at a time, and she hadn't gone down until the second match of three on one. Apparently, this was not an isolated incident, and most of the students, though they weren't afraid of her, certainly didn't go out of their way to test her good will. Except him. He did it without even trying.

"Emilie was sixteen when she was Chosen," Valerie continued. "When I asked for her to be."

"Why would you do something like that?" He could never figure that out. She had known the dangers of her mission. The person she was fighting did not have her safety in mind, did not care in the least what happened to her. He'd watched Emilie fuss over her mysterious bruises, had caught them once while Emilie was checking a large bandage at Valerie's side. Sometimes she limped without a plausible reason for why. Wounds she blamed on training, on slipping down stairs, on running too fast without looking where she was going. Weak excuses to anyone who watched her the way Gabriel did, looking for the lie, trying to find the truth of what had happened. He'd suspected she was in a gang or that she was in an abusive relationship with someone off campus. He wasn't the only one. "Why would you involve her that way?"

"Because she asked me to." The hardness of her jaw had crept into her voice, and Gabriel was certain that was true, but there was something else to it that Valerie wasn't telling him. He thought he knew what it was, thought of making her say it at last, confess that she'd been jealous of him and that was the only way she could think of to keep Emilie to herself. Thinking of all the times Emilie had politely and lovingly excused herself from his plans because of something secretive that had to do with Valerie. But he stopped himself from forcing this out of her. What he really wanted to know was what had actually happened at the abandoned building, if there were any clues there that would help him now.

"And that night?" Gabriel pressed. She knew the one he meant, but she shook her head, a darkness covering her like the shadows of her wings.

"That was a mistake," she admitted. "I took a risk. I thought we were ready to confront our enemy; take back the Grimoire he had stolen. It seemed like the right time, but we were no match for him. He took Emilie's kwami. I never laid a hand on the book. And . . . well, you saw what happened."

"But the glass, the blood? What was all that?" Gabriel pushed. It looked so ominous, some sort of blasphemous ritual.

"He's trying to create more Miraculous," Valerie finally said, looking at Nooroo who was floating above her holding on to the small braid, a little butterfly kite, looking to her for assurance that she should be disclosing these secrets to Gabriel. "Those things were meant to open a gateway to the spirit realm. He was summoning a new kwami."

"Did he succeed? How many are there?" Could there be some more powerful than Ladybug's?

"I don't know how many. Some I've never seen myself, but even though we weren't able to take back the Grimoire, Emilie and I did stop him that night. He took the book and Duusu, sliced open my face with his shotel and put me through the wall. I hid Roo and . . then I don't remember anything until I woke up in the hospital." She paused, looking small. Nooroo came closer to sit on her shoulder and touch her face.

"Is it true?" Valerie asked suddenly. "What you said before? Were you really the one who rescued me?"

"Yes," he answered, honestly, explaining how Emilie had pounded on his door at close to one in the morning, screaming for him. How she had been so hesitant to involve the police, engage an ambulance. At the time, it had made him convinced that they had been doing something wrong, but now he understood it was to preserve the secret of the Miraculous. Emilie was weak, wounded, and panicked, saying over and over that he had to go get Valerie, promise me, _promise me, Gabriel_! That he wouldn't leave her to die. She collapsed in his arms, and he'd shifted her gently into the care of his parents so he could do as she asked. He could deny her nothing.

He hadn't known what was waiting for him, going alone in the dark to where Emilie had told him he'd find her. He knew the building well; his father had mentioned it several times in connection with city council meetings regarding its upkeep. Owned but unused. A public eyesore and potential gathering place for miscreants. It certainly looked like he'd been right when Gabriel arrived. Strange symbols painted in scarlet on the floor, a table of silver instruments, a candle, a bell, several glass jars covered in golden scrollwork and what looked like a bear's tooth, an empty place where a book might have rested open. And past that the collapse of the entire north wall.

Valerie had been so still, covered in dust, that Gabriel had almost stepped on her. It took him a moment to recognize her, then a few more to stay standing near her instead of leaving immediately. He'd been groomed in his life to be poised, mind his manners, stay clean, make small talk with culturally-minded people. There was nothing to prepare him for digging out a rival classmate from a broken pile of rubble in the middle of the night.

At first, he was angry. At first, he thought that she'd finally gotten what she deserved. Didn't everyone know that she was trouble? This wild girl who always looked like she was at the starting line of something sharp and fast. The one who showed up late more often than not with her eyes shining half crazy, her gaze darting over the other students, into corners, into shadows. The girl who sat on top of the tables instead of on chairs, who climbed trees and did her homework on rooftops, who never seemed to ever be able to get high enough. The girl who could cut into Gabriel with a few words so deep that it sometimes doubled him over in his room at night when he remembered what she'd said. And seeing her there, under the pieces of wall, half her face obscured in bloody disaster, his first inclination was to leave her to the consequences of her own actions.

Promise me, Gabriel, helped him lift the first piece of brick. Remembering the duet Emilie wrote for his piano and Valerie's violin uncovered most of her torso. The soft memory of Valerie taking care of him when he was sick over Christmas break while Emilie was touring with her dance troupe finished the job of delivering her out from under the ruin so he could survey the damage. There was so much. She was hardly breathing; she didn't know he was even there. Her left side was completely crushed, so he lifted her from the right, knowing it was a mistake to move her and yet he had to get her to the road. He didn't want anyone else to see the building yet, not until he'd had a chance to talk it over with Emilie. Because what had they been doing? What happened to the wall? It was all too horrible to think about. He was so relieved to finally learn that they'd had nothing to do with the frightening images scrubbed onto the floor, that they had been trying to stop it.

"Thank you," Valerie said, bringing him back from that place in their past. "It must have been so hard for you to do that for me."

"I wanted you gone, not dead," Gabriel defended himself quickly. I don't mind watching you squirm, he remembered Valerie telling him once during that Christmas, when he'd asked her why she was helping him. I don't mind watching you squirm, she said, but I can't stand to watch you suffer. He hadn't understood what she meant until she'd stopped breathing on the road waiting for the ambulance.

"But I was dead," Valerie reminded him, and he cringed a little inside. More memories, ones he didn't even know he still carried. Ones he was speaking aloud to Valerie now. When he'd told the Champlains, Valerie's parents, that their daughter was gone, they had accepted the news as if they had been waiting for it, as if they had known that it would come sooner or later. It still saddened them, but they didn't seem at all surprised. The school held a memorial service. He'd taken Emilie to the funeral. Everyone, absolutely everyone, wanted him to say what happened again and again until he almost believed it himself when he repeated it. He'd tried to save her, he would say. He'd given her rescue breathing on the roadside. She had made it to the hospital, but her wounds were too severe. She was lost.

He thought that Emilie would be devastated, that she would be crippled by grief, when he told her his carefully rehearsed sequence of events. He watched her melt a little, watched tears well up in her eyes, prepared to catch her if she swooned, but she didn't. At least, not then. She hardened, as if she'd decided in that moment to take on some of Valerie's toughness and graft it into her own personality, sealing them together for eternity. She moved forward so forcefully that only Gabriel could see how much she was actually hurting. She demanded he take her to the building. He stood politely and helplessly to the side as she fell on her knees in the ruin, throwing the bricks, bowing over the crumble of mortar, sifting through the ashes where her soul's sister had fallen. Their first and final battleground. She stayed for quite some time, and when she finally did return to his arms, she had her hands, dirty and scratched, clasped tight at her chest. She kept them that way, refusing his concern that she had hurt herself and absolutely disallowing him to see, asking him to drop her off at her dormitory. He didn't know what to make of it then, but now he knew. She had gone looking for the brooch, for Valerie's lost kwami, to safeguard it from darkness, a true warrior.

It wasn't until later, after they were married, that he saw the full damage of the loss. How Emilie would be overcome at times – at a window watching it rain, by a photo, by a melody, certain colors, tiny reminders – and would excuse herself to be alone. He had never interfered with these private moments, but he had heard her through closed doors, heard how in pain she was over losing her friend. On each anniversary of that night, Emilie would require all electric light shut off, filling their home with candles, playing the songs they had written together on the piano.

Gabriel did not tell Valerie that this last year, even though Emilie was missing, he had continued her remembrance, had lit the candles himself for both of them, had played the piano, had shed tears over the keys. But he did say that for each of Valerie's birthdays, Emilie would dismiss the kitchen staff and prepare dinner herself – a shepherd's pie and a berry tart.

"She doesn't like shepherd's pie," Valerie interjected quietly.

"But you do," Gabriel answered. "It was your birthday dinner. She and Adrien would go south out of the city and pick the berries in the morning. When he was tiny, he'd come home so stained and sticky that she would have to wash him in the courtyard outside before bringing him into the house."

Valerie laughed, a pure, unrestrained sound. "I wish I could have been there," she confessed. And if he were being truly honest, Gabriel wished she had been too. It wasn't long before he doubted what he'd done. Had it really been the right decision? Maybe he should look for Valerie, see if they couldn't figure things out and move forward. Maybe if he had, Emilie would still be here now.

But by the time he'd thought to find her, she had completely disappeared. She had no car, owned no property. She didn't have a bank account or even a library card. She'd vanished into thin air, his own thoroughness working against him, and as time went by and his company and son grew, he'd had less and less time to look.

"You know what I hated most about you, Gabriel?" Valerie asked him, out of nowhere as he confessed how he'd wanted to take back what he'd done. Their eyes met, briefly, as he debated whether or not to even try to answer that question. What didn't she hate about him? He decided to stay quiet. She sighed, folding her arms over her ribcage. "I hated that you never gave me a good reason to not like you." What? Really?

"And I hated how you never gave me a chance," he responded, feeling strange to say this out loud, but somehow satisfied. "How you always assumed things about me before I'd ever done anything. And how I always ended up meshing into your assumptions; you brought out the worst in me."

"You brought out the worst in me too," Valerie agreed. "I didn't even like who I was around you. But you were always so good to her. And I can see why you'd want to protect her from me."

"I shouldn't have lied to her," Gabriel said, surprising himself with his own words. "I should have let you explain."

"How could I possibly explain?" Valerie replied. "My secret life? My unbelievable mission? My kwami? Don't forget; you gave me the choice. I was the one who decided to disappear for her sake. I was so angry at myself for what I'd done to Emilie. I was . . . grateful that she had you to take care of her. It was easy then to see why she loved you."

They were standing very close to each other now, drawn together by their shared memories, by their confessions. Valerie had taken his hands into hers, bowing slightly over them as she spoke, both of them somehow holding Emilie's shadow in the space between them, feeling her life in the other's fingers, seeing her light in each other's eyes.

Gabriel remembered seeing them at rest, Valerie under a tree instead of in it for once, on her back with her arm behind her head, staring at the sky she loved so much. Emilie a casual tangle across her, laying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows, the gold of her hair fanned out as Valerie combed it softly with her fingers, listening to Emilie read. Both of them young and lovely and happy. Gabriel had watched them unseen for a long time, understanding if he came closer and made his presence known that it would sour the moment. There were many moments like this, where they sat so close together, heads touching, shoulders touching, as if they were trying to just be one person. The sun and the moon in one sphere.

"Maybe we tried too hard to protect her," Gabriel offered.

A small sound broke into the conversation, a shaky inhale, a sobbing gasp that made them look at each other, confused as to which one of them had made it. Then Gabriel looked toward the door and saw Adrien standing there, leaning heavily against the wall, his face hidden in his hands, obviously crying, obviously trying to be silent about it so as not to disturb them, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he had slipped into the study, that he'd been eavesdropping on their conversation. Gabriel had been so focused on the memory, so focused on Valerie and Nooroo, that he had no idea how much Adrien had heard.

They all went to his side, Nooroo arriving first with Gabriel right after her. He put one hand on his son's shoulder, but then had to catch him as he bowed under just that small contact, taking them carefully to the floor where Adrien rested limply against him. Concerned, Gabriel pressed against Adrien's heart, monitoring its pace, bending his head low over him to listen to his breathing. Was this another anxiety attack? He'd been through so much already today. Would there ever be an end to it? Valerie knelt gracefully beside them, studying Adrien intently, looking to Gabriel to see if he needed her to do anything.

But no, Adrien's heart beat hard, but steady. He was crying, but not gasping for air. Though he was struggling, trying to get under control, to stop, to stand up, this felt different than before. Less like a medical symptom and more like a tired teenaged boy who missed his mother the same as they did. Gabriel held on tight, the way he'd learned that Adrien liked to be held, beginning to shush him.

"Go on, Adrien," Valerie encouraged, giving Gabriel a meaningful look, her dark eyes very clear. Don't you dare ask him to stop. He needs this. Let him be.

"That's right, Adrien," Nooroo said, explaining Adrien's feelings as she stroked his hair, naming his tears as they fell, spreading them out and shaking them dry. "It's overwhelming, isn't it? To be so happy and so sad at the same time. To be homesick in your own home. To feel guilty for wanting something more when what you have is supposed to be enough. To be lonely even in your father's arms, even when it is something you've wanted for a long time. But that's fine. Because some places in your heart will accept love from none other than the one you made the space for."

Her words seemed to make sense to Adrien, who hid his face against Gabriel's chest, crying hard, but slowing as Nooroo effortlessly sorted out the complexity of why. Gabriel suddenly missed when Nooroo was his. He'd used her only to focus on negative emotions; it only occurred to him just now that she could have helped him decipher his son's feelings. His own even. They could be so much closer if he had thought to seek understanding. He'd been so caught up in stealing power, in going backward to try and fix what had happened, that he hadn't even tried to look forward to a different future. He hadn't noticed what it had done to Adrien. He sent a pleading look to Valerie to use her skill to take Adrien's pain the way she had taken Nathalie's, more permanently this time, but she shook her head.

"It's not the same," she mouthed to him over Adrien, always able to read him in an instant. "He will heal."

"I miss her so much," Adrien said, still in Gabriel's arms, unaware of the exchange happening over him. "She would have been so happy to see you like this."

Gabriel met Valerie's eyes again, seeing in them an awkward acceptance. He felt as though they were building an alliance out of playing cards, so fragile and delicate, about to fall at any heavy word, and yet it was going up. Provided that each of them continued to be willing to lay out their cards.

"She would," Valerie assured. "Of course, it didn't take much. She was happy if we stayed in the same room longer than three minutes or if we managed to say good morning to each other without looking like we'd put a lemon in our mouths." Adrien hiccupped a bit of a laugh, wiping his face with the backs of his hands, whatever he'd kept penned in having run its course now. Valerie ruffled his hair. "And I'm sure she would be so proud of you."

"Sir?" Nathalie knocked on the study door, opening it slightly before entering. Nooroo dashed immediately behind the sleek curtain of Valerie's hair. Inwardly Gabriel shook his head at his assistant's voice. He knew she wouldn't actually take the night off, though she may be grateful he had offered it. "Dinner is served – Adrien?" Her face changed in an instant when she saw him leaning into Gabriel, her professionalism giving way to protection. She may do more budgets than bedtime stories now, but it was clear to Gabriel that Adrien would always be hers in a way. "Are you still not feeling well?"

"I'm ok," Adrien said, allowing Gabriel to help him up before going to Nathalie's side, as if to reassure her. She rested her hands on his shoulders, needing to touch him, her saving grace. "And you?" Nathalie tilted her head, confused and pleased at his concern, the corner of her mouth curling just slightly in fondness. She also looked at Valerie, something like recognition crossing her eyes for just a moment before she shook it away.

"Of course," she said, holding the door open for them. Adrien held out his arm to Nathalie, because he was a gentleman, because he knew that she wanted to keep contact with him, looking back at Gabriel before taking her across the entryway to the dining room. Gabriel looked at Valerie, who was watching them go on ahead with a tender expression on her face. He cleared his throat to get her attention, reaching for her hand.

"That's not necessary," Valerie began, shying away from his formality. Because she always had. Ignoring doors he opened for her. Walking past his offers of escort. Never allowing him to drive her home. Those were stiff rules that she didn't adhere to. Things like escorts, chaperones, and etiquette were never a priority for her, and she usually acted insulted when Gabriel tried to be courteous to her.

"Perhaps not," he allowed, but didn't back down. "But it is my house." Though her lips settled in a tight line, Valerie extended her hand, let him loop their arms together. He felt a little tremor of triumph about her submission, but wisely kept his face blank. If it were even possible to have a blank face around Valerie.

Nathalie turned down Adrien's invitation to eat with them, excusing herself to the kitchen. Valerie also tried to decline, insisting that she really should leave. Gabriel partially overcame her by reminding her that they had not finished their conversation. Adrien won her over completely with one pleading look.

During the meal, Gabriel caught his son checking his phone on his lap repeatedly, his face wrinkling with disappointment and worry each time. Obviously, he was waiting for someone to contact him. But who? Whoever it was, they were not responding and it was bothering him. He tried to keep it to himself, keeping up with the conversation, asking Gabriel and Valerie question after question about how it had been when they were together at school. It turns out that their memories differed in the extreme on several matters.

"I most certainly did not!" Gabriel demanded after Valerie told Adrien that he had pretended not to speak English for an entire semester.

"Oh, it was her worst subject," Valerie said dismissively. "Don't deny it; you must remember doing this. You acted as though you didn't understand a word, like you'd never studied it, and begged her to teach you, but you and I both know you were just using that as an excuse to tutor her without making her feel inferior." He looked away as Adrien smiled brightly at him.

Somehow during the evening, they ended up in Emilie's parlor, one of the softest rooms of the house, where Adrien requested them to play the duet Emilie had written for them. But Valerie shook her head.

"Darling," she told him. "It's been ages since I've touched a violin." She wiggled the fingers of her left hand at him. "And I am not used to this yet." But when he pressed the instrument at her, she accepted it. And when Gabriel gave her a tuning note, most of her resolve crumpled in an instant. "I suppose there's no harm in trying," she muttered, tucking it under her chin.

She and Gabriel proceeded to struggle unbelievably through the duet, the wreck of a song not quite matching up at all, a parallel to their relationship of never being in step with each other. She gave up halfway through, allowing Gabriel to play on alone.

And he did. Song after song. The ones from their youth he played on the day of remembrance. The lullabies he played when Adrien was very small and recently for those nights when Adrien was not resting well. The passionate ones he composed for his wife before she became his wife. The sonatas of devotion he wrote for her after. The melodies rippling out of him in waves the way that Adrien's tears had slipped down his face. Gabriel did not cry, but when he finally paused at the end of the last anniversary composition, he slumped over the keys, completely drained as if he had been sobbing the entire time. He turned toward the sofa, somewhat surprised to see that he was not as alone as he'd felt while he played. Valerie sat still, completely focused on him, her face astonishingly sharp and tender, Nooroo flopped comfortably on top of her head, eyes closed. Adrien lay stretched out, his phone grasped lightly in his hand, his head on Valerie's lap.

"He's asleep," Valerie whispered when she saw where Gabriel was looking. Gabriel couldn't help himself. He slid off the piano bench and onto the floor in front of the exquisite wonderment that was his son, taking comfort in his steady, slow breaths. It calmed his soul to watch him sleep, especially when his rest was like this, peaceful, beautiful, undisturbed by nightmares.

"Do you think he's all right?" He asked her, somehow needing her assessment on the matter. She combed her fingers through his hair very gently.

"Physically? Yes. If Ladybug restored me today, then I'm certain Adrien is completely healed too. But emotionally, no," she responded, also gazing at his sleeping face. "Though it will help if you continue to act like this towards him when he's awake and can enjoy it." He must have given her a confused look because she went on. "I see it in the pictures, Gabriel. Emilie was the soul of this house, and after she disappeared, you closed up where nothing could reach you, not even Adrien. You lost your wife. He lost you both. I think that may be part of the reason he disappeared on Christmas Eve."

"I didn't realize. If you hadn't seen him, Valerie –"

"That's all behind us," she reminded him, nodding to the sleeping boy between them. "Look at him now, Gabriel. Think about what you're going to change for the future so something like that never has to happen again."

"You're right," he told her, probably the first time he'd said those words to her ever.

"Speaking of the future, it's time for me to go home," Valerie continued, slipping out from under Adrien's head without disturbing him.

"Already?" If his teenaged self could hear him right now. If he could ever comprehend a time where he wouldn't want her gone. "But we still need to –"

"I'm not going far," she interrupted him a second time. "But there are things I need to take care of. I'll have to explain to my employer why I never showed up today, for one. Good thing akumatization is considered an excused absence nowadays." He knew she meant it as a joke, but it still made a slit in his psyche when he thought about it. How many lives had he disrupted by misusing Nooroo's power? And yet, even now, he couldn't bring himself to really care deeply about it. He couldn't quite summon any regret. Perhaps if Ladybug's charm didn't work as well as it did, it would be different. He looked at Adrien again, the slit opening slightly wider. If Ladybug's charm didn't work so well, he would not be here. Maybe there was a little regret, after all.

"Whatever it is that you do," Gabriel said. "I'd like you to resign. I want to hire you."

"You don't have to hire me to look for Emilie, Gabriel. It's something I was planning on doing anyway."

"But you'll need time and resources," he protested. She grinned, a bit of her old wickedness coming to the surface.

"I found Hawkmoth, though, didn't I?" She teased. "In less than two months without taking a single day off."

"Something tells me this will be harder."

Valerie sighed, sobering, considering her left hand, bringing the fingers slowly into a fist. She closed her eyes, visibly steeling herself for a battle that could yet be far off into the future. "Without a doubt," she agreed. "Regardless, I need to go for the moment. I'll visit you tomorrow? We can continue our discussion then."

"Will you let me drive you this time?"

"No, thank you, Gabriel." She smiled at Nooroo. "I think I'd prefer to fly."

BB

"Marinette, will you please talk to me?" Tikki implored, speaking from somewhere above her as she lay curled on top of her bedspread. But she absolutely did not want to talk. Not to Alya and Nino who had discovered her moments after she'd detransformed. Not to her parents who asked her ever increasingly concerned questions as she'd stared at her plate at dinner without touching it. Not to Tikki who couldn't stand it when Marinette was discouraged or upset. And especially not to Adrien, even though he had called her four times right in a row and continued to text her at steady intervals all evening.

Everything's fine, he wrote. As if it really was. As if it ever could be again.

Call when you can.  
Please call me, Marinette.  
Marinette, are you all right?

Could you text me back? Please, I'm worried about you. Marinette?

And the last one. The last text that burned a hole in her heart.

Did I do something wrong?

How could he possibly think he'd done something wrong? She's the one who screwed up. Messed up so badly that he almost died. But then, he didn't know that. The last he'd seen of Marinette, he'd kissed the corner of her mouth after they'd walked home together, when he'd asked her to wait for him. That seemed so long ago. Before she'd fought Zephyr in his house. Now everything had changed. She pulled herself in tighter, knowing she was going to start crying again. She hadn't even been able to tell Tikki what happened yet. Her kwami had no idea. She hadn't even told her about Hawkmoth.

"Marinette, it can't be that bad," she comforted. But it was! No one had seen a whisker of Chat Noir all night. Not at the riots. Not at the mansion. He hadn't come to help her, and Zephyr's words kept beating her in the chest and at her temples. He's better off without you. You're nothing without him. If she'd treated him better, he would have come, and if he'd been there then Adrien wouldn't have put himself in danger like that. He wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"It's worse than bad," Marinette told her, trying to keep her voice under control, knowing that she really did need to let Tikki know what was going on. "So much happened, Tikki."

"What if we just start small? Little questions? Like this one – did you purify the akuma?" Marinette nodded. "Perform the charm?" Another nod. "Sounds like things are ok after all." Desperate head shake.

"Was it really Valerie?" Tikki asked, remembering how they'd watched Zephyr take out the people at the movie theater, realizing that they had to transform to stop her. "It had to be. Those were her powers."

"It was Valerie," Marinette confirmed, sniffling. "She attacked Gabriel Agreste." Tikki looked confused. To her, they'd been trying to find Valerie because she'd somehow ended up with Chat Noir's Miraculous, but she probably didn't have it anymore, which is why she was akumatized in the first place. It really didn't have anything to do with Mr. Agreste.

"But why?" Tikki pushed, desperate to figure this out.

"Because he . . . had her real Miraculous. Tikki, he's _Hawkmoth_!"

"OH!"

Except he wasn't anymore. Maybe. Adrien had the Miraculous. Or he did have it. The last Marinette had seen of it, he was putting it into his pocket and the beautiful butterfly kwami was hovering protectively over Valerie's lifeless form. Maybe Nooroo and Adrien had returned the brooch to Valerie? This might mean no more akumas, ever. Which meant there was no need for Ladybug anymore. No reason for her to ever see Chat Noir again. And there was absolutely no reason she should feel sad about there being no more akuma attacks! How awful was she that she wished she could have just one more to fight, just one more chance that Chat Noir might come. That was absolutely despicable!

"And you're crying again," Tikki pointed out in frustration. "What happened, Marinette? Please!"

"I don't know, Tikki," Marinette sniffled. "Adrien had the Miraculous; he wouldn't give it to me. The kwami –"

"You saw Nooroo?"

"Yes, and Nooroo wanted to save Valerie, but we couldn't get the akuma because she had it in her heart, but Nooroo wouldn't take it out because she was afraid she'd kill her, and the lucky charm was this useless prism and there were rainbows everywhere, and Adrien –"

She pushed her pillow against her mouth as she sobbed, seeing Adrien on the floor, bloody and broken, trying to talk, doing her job in retrieving the akuma while she sat helpless next to him. Memories that physically hurt. That made her sick to her stomach. That made her want to disappear forever.

"I really don't understand. This is big news, Marinette! It sounds like you defeated Hawkmoth. At the very least, we found poor Nooroo! Where is she now?"

"I . . . I don't know," Marinette tried to answer without blubbering pathetically. "I used the lucky charm. I had to leave before everything was finished."

Maybe we should go back?" Tikki suggested, making Marinette sit up. "Check to see what happened to the butterfly Miraculous?" Why hadn't she thought of that?

"Now?"

"If it would make you feel better? I know I would like some more answers about all this."

"Yeah, okay. Yeah, we should."

Less than five minutes later, after discovering that Adrien was not in his bedroom, Marinette stood shivering on the balcony as Tikki phased through the window in order to open it for her. She transformed again and let herself in. The room was dark, but she could make out the gleam of the swords above his bed, the fencing vest discarded in a hurry on the covers. No Adrien. Was he ok? He'd been texting her, but what if something was wrong? Her charm had worked, hadn't it? What if it didn't, though?

She moved deliberately out into the hall, fearful, worried, catching a glimpse of Gabriel as he entered one of the lower rooms across the entryway. She followed him, slipping into the room behind him and standing quite still watching his back as he stared at a huge portrait of Adrien's mother. Seeing him there, as polished as ever, knowing who he was and what he'd done, made her furious.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't have you arrested right now," Ladybug demanded, folding her arms in front of her, stance wide, blocking his exit. She knew it probably wasn't her best move, but she'd done stupider and more dangerous things already today. Facing off with Hawkmoth didn't even make the top five.

"Ladybug!" Gabriel at least had the decency to turn around in surprise.

"Hawkmoth," she returned, calling him by his alter-ego. "I came for the Miraculous. Your days of terrorizing Paris are over." He smirked at her bravado, making her feel suddenly small.

"You're too late. The Miraculous is no longer here," Gabriel informed her, pulling himself together rapidly, clasping his hands behind his back. The very picture of calm. "And the one good reason for me not to go to prison is currently sleeping, but he's not the only one. I employ nearly seven hundred people, Ladybug. Think. If I am arrested and my company is ruined, what becomes of them?" Ladybug felt her nostrils flare as she exhaled angrily. This ending felt rather unjust to her. She felt like she'd stepped into a trap. "However, it's all rather beside the point. You see. You have no proof whatsoever."

Ladybug felt her mouth go slack, hating that he was completely right. This was becoming the most disappointing evening of her life.

"I'm grateful to you for saving my son today," Gabriel continued, so annoyingly composed. "But I will not be threatened in my own home. I think you should go."

"But how do I know that you don't have the Miraculous? How can I trust anything you say? What's stopping you from lying to me and then sending out another akuma?" Ladybug pressed, wanting to take some kind of action, wanting to defeat someone.

"I suppose if there is another akuma attack, you'll know right where to find me, won't you?" How could he do that? Be so condescending like that? She had been his nemesis for almost a year, and now he was going to just dismiss her? Worse, it looked very much as though she were going to have to let him get away with it. She didn't want Adrien to suffer anymore. She hadn't thought about the people who worked for him. She'd never thought he would relinquish the Miraculous to anyone other than her, and there would be no way for her to prove anything.

But if the Miraculous wasn't here anymore, what happened to it? Had Gabriel actually given it back to Valerie? But he'd akumatized her! And all the things they'd said and done to each other. Had she taken it somehow? Maybe the person she should be talking to right now was Valerie. Should she be allowed to keep the brooch? Would Master Fu need to take it from her? Would she allow him to? Or was Ladybug right back to the beginning of finding Valerie in order to take back a Miraculous? Tikki had been so wrong. There was absolutely nothing satisfying about this visit.

"Before you go, I'm curious," Gabriel continued, casually. "Where was Chat Noir today? You're usually inseparable."

"I don't have to answer that," Ladybug huffed, feeling the hurt of it deep inside her. "I'm not in charge of him, and you're not in charge of me."

"I suppose not," Gabriel allowed. "It doesn't matter. I no longer need your Miraculous; my plans have changed."

"To what?" Ladybug couldn't help but ask out loud. She'd always wondered why he needed their Miraculous to begin with. It had never made any sense to her. What would he possibly do with them? And should she be worried about this change in plan? Was it worse than before? But what could be worse than what he had already done?

"Now it's my turn to invoke my right not to answer," Gabriel told her smoothly, but of course he wasn't going to tell her his evil scheme.

"It doesn't matter. Chat Noir and I will stop you," Ladybug said, trying to pull together the dregs of her confidence. Today's battle, Adrien's sacrifice, Valerie's words – they had beaten her harder than any akuma. She was no longer as sure as she had been.

"Oh, I doubt that," Gabriel replied, as if he were taunting her now. "Don't say things like that too quickly. You never know. We could end up working together someday."

"Never," Ladybug promised, and to her irritation, Gabriel smiled widely.

"We'll see, but I believe for tonight there is nothing remaining for us to discuss. I think you know the way out."

The dismissal stung. Ladybug wasn't sure why she felt like she'd lost when actually it seemed that Hawkmoth's grasp on Paris had been broken. Shouldn't she feel at least a little bit enthusiastic about it? Hadn't she won? Sort of?

"Just because I can't prove it doesn't mean it didn't happen. I still know the truth, and I'm watching you," she threatened, but it felt empty to her. She walked backwards towards the door, but Gabriel had already turned away from her, going back to his private thoughts as he looked at the image of his wife. She felt overwhelmingly underrated. But there was really nothing left to say. She bowed as she turned, heading back into the entryway so she could go home.

"Ladybug?"

She lifted her eyes from her defeat to see Adrien standing on the second step of the lower staircase, his hair sort of tousled and a strange line down his face as if he'd been resting on a seam of some kind for too long. It reminded her of the tear of Zephyr's whip, and she swallowed hard. His voice was full of sleep but his eyes were wide awake now that he'd spotted her. She stood still just staring at him, his unbroken bones, his unmarred skin, both of his beautiful eyes. He was healthy, restored, perfect. While she stood mesmerized, he came toward her, arms outstretched, unmasked relief on his features. But she seized up at the thought of touching him. She'd let him get too close to her already.

Neatly, she ducked away from him, raising her hands against another attempt. He paused, confused, and suddenly they were standing a few feet away from each other, separated by trauma.

"What were you thinking?" Ladybug asked him, her voice strangely cold, still dripping with the tone she'd used to speak to Gabriel. "I told you it was too dangerous. I told you to stay hidden." His face looked abruptly wounded.

"I . . . couldn't let you fight alone," he said simply, slumping at her sharpness. "I promised that until Chat comes back that I would - "

"You are _not_ Chat Noir!" Ladybug scolded, a tiny piece of her spirit telling her to calm down, that she was taking something out on Adrien that was not his fault. That she was not angry at him; she was angry at Hawkmoth, or maybe she was angry at herself for not being who she thought she needed to be. That she might regret this later. But no. She had to be firm. She absolutely could not watch his life pour out of him under her hands again. If it meant keeping him safe, then she would do anything, even pretend that she hated him. "And I need you to quit acting like you are."

"But, Ladybug –" He began to protest. She silenced him by shoving her palm out in front of her, turning her face away and closing her eyes.

"No," she interrupted, not trusting herself to stay strong if he tried to explain, if he tried to soothe her in any way. "I can't lose you too," she whispered, sensing him leaning closer to try and catch her words. She backed away.

"I need to tell you something," he continued.

"You need to stay away from me," she said, a finality to her words. She felt the heavy handle of the main door and opened it to the cold.

"Wait!"

But her resolve was crumbling too fast for her to wait, so she dashed out into the courtyard, throwing her yo-yo without even looking where it might grab, just needing it to pull her away.

"Ladybug!" Adrien called after her, but she was fifty meters above the ground now and leaving him behind. Across the stadium, over the school, down the street and dropping her spots as she dropped onto her bed. Tikki popped back into focus, her little face full of expectation.

"That was the worst idea, ever, Tikki!" Marinette wailed, folding her arms around her knees and burying her head. "Gabriel doesn't have the Miraculous anymore, and I have no proof that he was ever Hawkmoth so he's going to get away with everything, and . . . and I told Adrien to stay away from me!"

"All that in less than an hour?" Tikki squeaked.

Her phone rang. Twice. Three times. Adrien. Then the texts started coming.

Marinette. I need to talk to you.

Marinette, please. It's important.

"Aren't you going to answer him?" Tikki asked.

"I can't be Marinette for him right now," she said, knowing how illogical that sounded.

I don't understand why you won't answer me.

What's wrong, Marinette?

"You're going to have to talk to him eventually," Tikki informed her. "Looking at this from his point of view, he probably thinks you're upset about what happened this afternoon before the akuma. Take some deep breaths and write him back. Think about how long you've wanted this, Marinette."

"I don't know what I want," she confessed, surprising herself.

"What do you mean?" Tikki asked, looking ruffled, looking like she was doing her best to understand but it was like Marinette had suddenly started speaking another language.

"I mean I don't know! Adrien is . . he's so important to me. You didn't see, Tikki, but he got hurt. He was dying. He wouldn't do as I said; he wouldn't stay safe. He wanted to help me fight because Chat never showed up. I can't let him do that again; I am not strong enough to protect him. And I was sitting there next to him, holding his hand, and it felt so horrible to see him that way, but even though I was watching Adrien, I kept thinking about Chat and how he was so sick on Christmas Eve and that was the last time I ever saw him and this might be the last time I would see Adrien. And I can't keep letting the most important people in my life sacrifice themselves for me. And . . . Zephyr said . . . she said that Chat Noir didn't want to be my partner anymore because he is better off without me and he has someone in his life now who loves him more than I do and will treat him the way he deserves to be treated, and I'm so selfish, Tikki! It's driving me crazy to think that could be true. And now there probably won't be any more akuma attacks, so I probably won't see Chat again ever, and isn't that terrible to wish that we hadn't defeated Hawkmoth just so I could talk to Chat one more time?"

"Oh Marinette," Tikki said sympathetically. "Too bad you didn't find Nooroo; she's just the kwami we need for this. She could tell you exactly how you feel so you wouldn't be so worked up about it."

"I'm the worst person, Tikki," Marinette groaned. "How can I love Adrien so much but not want Chat Noir to be in a relationship because I liked having him all to myself? It's disgusting! I'm as bad as Chloe."

"Now, really," Tikki protested, but Marinette was not in any mood to be comforted.

"Adrien deserves better," she said, firm in this one belief. "He deserves someone who will be absolutely devoted to him. So does Chat. And that is not me. So . . . I need to stay away from them both. That's all."

Her phone buzzed. Another text. Two.

Please let me help, Marinette.

I'm still planning on picking you up tomorrow.

Tomorrow? Oh, that's right. Sunday. Rose and Juleka's singing get-together under the bleachers of the stadium. The date she'd been so excited to go on. That was lifetimes ago. She started typing, telling Adrien that she'd changed her mind, that she couldn't wait for him, that she wasn't coming, but Tikki actually grabbed her phone away from her - the second kwami in less than twelve hours to play keep away with something she needed.

"Hey! Tikki, give that back."

"Not if you're going to cancel on him. You're not giving him a chance, Marinette, and that's not fair since he's finally giving you one. You are not disgusting or unworthy. Confused maybe, but it's been a really hard day for you. A lot has happened and you're tired and sad. But you can't let what Zephyr told you dictate how you make decisions."

"But what if she's right?"

"She's not right, Marinette, not completely. Valerie specializes in emotion; you must understand. She manipulates people's feelings; it's the most wonderful and dangerous thing about her. When she was a Miraculous holder, she could lift someone's courage. A kind word from her could soothe insecurity. She can inspire, energize, and motivate. But the dark side of that power can drive people apart, fester doubt and fear. That's why kwamis must choose so carefully to make sure they are bestowing their powers on someone who will use them for good. Valerie's words can stop wars, but she can also start them."

"But she never touched me, Tikki. And even if she had, I purified the akuma and used the charm, so whatever she did is over now."

"That's probably the worst part," Tikki went on. "This has nothing to do with her power as a superhero or as an akuma victim. The thing about words is that once they are said, once you've believed them, it will take more than your Miraculous charm to reverse how they make you feel." Marinette sulked, not truly convinced. Tikki landed in her lap, returning the phone, patting Marinette's knee.

"Tell him you can't talk right now," Tikki suggested. "Then I think you should get some rest and see how much better things will seem in the morning."

"Tikki."

"Please trust me, Marinette."

She picked up her phone to type a completely unpromising, "sorry, I can't talk right now" to Adrien. The boy she thought she loved the most. The boy she wanted to protect from everything that might ever hurt him, even herself. Her screen lit up almost immediately with his reply.

That's ok. I understand.

I'll wait until you're ready.

Please take care.

She felt her spirit calm a little at the words despite herself, holding the phone tenderly. He was so genuine. If she weren't Ladybug, this would be so different. She would have never been responsible for his pain; she wouldn't know Chat Noir well enough to be conflicted about him. She would have asked Adrien about his experience today as an outsider, like Nino; she would have no memories of him lying broken below her. It would have been so uncomplicated. But on the other hand, if she weren't Ladybug, then she would have never known the marvel that was Tikki. She wouldn't have known how much she could trust someone if she had never met Chat.

You can't have it both ways, she scolded herself bitterly as she finished brushing her teeth and tucking herself in for what she was certain would be a not-so-restful night. That's how you end up losing everything.

BB

The lights were on in Valerie's apartment when she touched down into the courtyard. She knew immediately who would be waiting for her, but she didn't understand why he would announce his presence so obviously this way. The last time he'd waited at her apartment, she'd run away from him and ended up sleeping in Notre Dame. Yesterday. That was only yesterday. When she'd been a completely different person.

"Wings fall," she commanded, slipping into the shadows as Zephyr and coming out in front of her door as Valerie, Nooroo at her side.

"Master Fu is in there," Valerie told her softly, staring at the wood. "He may be here to take you away from me."

"Why do you keep saying that?" Nooroo asked her. "You are my Chosen."

"I've made a lot of mistakes, Roo," Valerie confessed. "But I won't repeat this one. If he's come for you, then that's how it must be." And he probably knew that, which is why he had left her lights on. Taking a deep breath, she let herself in.

"Master?" She called as she opened the door, announcing her entrance but pausing as she took in her apartment, drastically altered from how she'd left it earlier. There was a fire going. A tea kettle waited on the stove under very low heat to keep it hot. The maps she'd left scattered on the table had been folded into a neat pile. The blood on the kitchen floor was scrubbed clean. And Master Fu himself sat calmly on the sofa cushion Plagg liked to keep in front of the fire, meditating.

"Welcome home, Valerie," he greeted her gently, the words and the tone catching hard in her throat. "And you too, Nooroo. I'm so glad to see you."

"Master," Nooroo bowed from where she sat on Valerie's shoulder before she was completely knocked off by Wayzz, who had sprung up out of nowhere to grab her in a too-cute embrace. "Wayzz!" By now, Master Fu had risen to his feet. He reached out to push Valerie's hair away from her face, smiling at her. She wasn't sure what to think but couldn't move. His gentleness almost hurt.

"Ladybug's charm really is miraculous, isn't it?" He asked, studying her, tipping her chin this way and that as he looked at her undamaged cheeks. It made her want to cry, so she pulled back. "It is so wonderful to see you healed. To see you with Nooroo again."

"Master, I . . I'm so sorry," Valerie apologized, bowing as low as she could before deciding it wasn't low enough. She dropped to her knees to touch her forehead to the floor. Master Fu did not allow her to stay there. He took her by the shoulders, lifting her until he could look her in the eye, his brow furrowed and thoughtful.

"Don't be," he told her. "I'm nothing but grateful for what has happened."

"What?" How could he say that? All the terrible things that had happened. That she'd been responsible for.

He pulled her to her feet, leading her to her chair and lowering her into it before busying himself in pouring cups of tea. "You know better than anyone how the tiny flap of a butterfly's wings can alter the course of history. How one small act leads to great change. Everything that has happened has been so crucial, from Adrien's illness to you using Plagg's power to even becoming a victim of Hawkmoth – look how these tragic things all led to something wonderful. See how if even one of them had not happened, we would not be here now. You are found and healed. Hawkmoth's power has been returned to you where it belongs. And though there is likely more suffering still to be endured, if we are careful, I believe the road ahead of us holds many more victories."

"The road ahead?" Valerie asked, surprised that he could be thinking of a future for her. She was certain that her time was done.

"It's up to you, of course, but there is still one Miraculous missing as well as two of our dearest friends. I'm certain now that you have your strength back that you were planning to search for Emilie with or without Nooroo to help you, but in my opinion, I believe you'll have better luck if you work together."

"So you . . you'll let her stay with me?" Valerie clarified, not sure if she could handle all that was being given to her today. Particularly when it had started so badly.

"That's a choice for you to make together."

"Roo?" Valerie turned to find where she'd gone, only to discover her hovering just at her shoulder, smiling adoringly.

"I don't know why you think you need to ask," Nooroo said. "I missed you so much. Of course I will stay with you."

Master Fu nodded, expecting no less, while Valerie cupped her hand around her kwami, pulling her close to nuzzle her against her cheek.

"What happens to Ladybug and Chat Noir now?" Valerie asked, thinking of Adrien, how he and Plagg might be spending their first evening together after their separation. "There won't be any more akumas in Paris to fight."

"Akumas no, but Ladybug and Chat Noir represent much more to Paris than just fighting akumas. I believe the city still has need of them, and who knows, they may even help you in your mission."

"No, they're children," Valerie denied quickly. "They can't go where I'm going."

"They're Chosen, and they've already proven themselves. But that will be a discussion for another day, perhaps. For right now, let me tell you what little I've been able to determine about Nicolae."

 **Author's Note: I know – I'm sorry! I'm not doing this to be annoying. Still no Chat, but he's coming. There just seemed to be too many loose ends hanging around that I didn't want to be in the way. I wanted Gabriel and Valerie to come to some agreement. I needed to talk about how I'm not really going to make Gabriel pay for his crimes as Hawkmoth (because seriously, everybody's screwed up – why should he be the only one going to prison for it?). I needed Valerie and Nooroo to have Master Fu's blessing to stay together. Just stuff. Cleaned up. Plus – I really like how Gabriel and Valerie are together now that they've had it out with each other. They make me so happy.**

 **Ladybug makes me less happy, but if you haven't noticed by now, she's the character I write with the least amount of skill. Not sure what's up with that – I like her just fine in the series, but I struggle to write her.**

 **I thought this would be the last chapter, but obviously we can't leave it here. So one more. Probably just one more. I realize I'm sort of setting myself up to have this go on and on (what about Emilie? How are they going to find her?) But that story is more about Valerie and less about Adrien and Marinette, and I'm conflicted about how long I want this to go. So for now – let's just get Chat Noir and Ladybug back together.**


	12. Chapter 12: What If You Could

**Author's Note: Serious apology from me, friends. I have a confession. I started this story right before my husband took my three kids with him up to his parents' place for the summer. For seven weeks, the only thing I had to do was report to my full-time job and write. So that is all I did. Go to work. Come home and eat weird things (it was 120 degrees, it was just me, I ate a ridiculous amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cold cereal), and WRITE until one in the morning. It was glorious.**

 **But everyone is home now, and so now I have to do other things besides write. Like laundry. And cooking. And playing Calico Critters. And 3** **rd** **grade math. So even though I tried so hard to get this done for you before I knew my writing time would be gone, it just didn't happen. Thus, you had to wait forever for this chapter and I didn't get to edit it as carefully as I usually do. Again, I'm sorry. I hope it was worth waiting for.**

 **Chapter Twelve: What If You Could**

For the first time in a long time, Adrien woke without a hint of pain, his consciousness stirring while his body remained heavy and boneless under his blanket. It was still dark in his room, the winter sky outside promising snow later, the sort of day that tricks you into thinking it's early morning all the way through to sunset.

Adrien moved just enough to check his phone. No messages. Then he had to check it again when he realized he'd forgotten to see what time it actually was. Almost ten. He startled internally about that but didn't make much effort to get up. He didn't typically sleep late but jumping out of bed now wouldn't give those hours back to him. So he continued to lay in the comfort, deliciously lazy, closing his eyes again, though he did wonder why no one had woken him yet. Maybe something was going on?

"Plagg?" Adrien called out without actually looking for the kwami, feeling a ripple of pleasure in his soul that he was no longer speaking to his memory. That they were together again, even if he couldn't see him right this second.

"Adrien?" Came Plagg's disembodied voice from somewhere above his head, but close, like Plagg was still on his pillow.

"How come everyone let me sleep so late?" Adrien asked as he shifted a bit in the bed, sitting up a little, leaning against the pillow and the wall, rubbing his eyes luxuriously. He'd missed his weekend Chinese lesson completely. Plagg floated into his line of sight, his expression difficult to read.

"Are you kidding?" The spirit said. "We could have held a marching band competition in here and it wouldn't have woken you up. But the whole house has been very quiet. Nathalie started coming in every half hour or so around eight, but she just looks at you and smiles and then leaves again. Speaking of that, she'll probably be back any minute now."

"Guess it's time to get up then."

Adrien slowly untangled himself from his blanket, noticing how he didn't need a minute to steady himself after standing anymore. He wasn't dizzy. It had been so long since he'd felt this good that he wasn't really sure what to do with it. He sort of wanted to run, maybe jump out his window and race across the rooftops. He wondered if he could talk Plagg into it.

"What's with the face?" His kwami questioned him, making him realize that he was just standing beside his bed, basking in his body, probably looking like a lunatic.

"She healed me, Plagg," he said out loud past the grin he couldn't stop, though his kwami just stared at him, not near as impressed as he should be. "Like really healed me."

"I know," Plagg said, a hint of question in his tone, reminding Adrien that he hadn't been around for a lot of what Adrien had been through. He'd missed the nights where his father and Nathalie had force-fed him sedatives as he thrashed in nightmare. Missed the times Adrien had curled tightly against the cramps in his muscles in the dark. "I watched her?"

"No, not just the fall . . . all of it! No more panic attacks or dizziness or hallucinations or . . . we need to find her."

Plagg bristled as Adrien switched his train of thought, a miserable little mass on the pillow who would not take his eyes away from Adrien for a single second.

"Even though she very clearly told you to stay away from her last night?" Plagg reminded him as he pulled on his clothes, making him pause with his arms halfway through his shirt. He folded down his collar with a flick of his wrists before picking up his phone again. Nothing from Marinette after she'd told him she couldn't talk, after she'd told him to stay away from her. What had made her so angry? Why was she so upset?

"That's exactly why we need to talk to her," he said, determined. He'd fixed bigger problems yesterday than this. If he could get his father and Valerie to have a civil conversation together, then getting Marinette to talk to him shouldn't be all that hard. Besides, he was quite certain that he could do just about anything right now, and hadn't she said yesterday that if he wanted to talk about what was bothering him he could call her? It had seemed a rather outrageous idea to him then, but now he thought it was the only way to fix things. He was going to tell her. All of it. "It's time to tell her the truth."

"The truth? Like about who you are? Are you crazy?" Plagg squawked. "You absolutely cannot do that."

"Plagg – "

"You should take the Miraculous off, Adrien." What? Where had that come from?

"No way!" Adrien insisted, holding his hand as if he suspected Plagg to try and take it away himself if he didn't cooperate. "I just got it back – just got _you_ back. Plagg, what's going on with you?" His kwami had been acting strange ever since he'd been returned. Balking at the idea of Adrien becoming Chat Noir, being moodier than usual, not eating. Just weird behavior. And now this? Marinette wasn't the only friend Adrien couldn't understand right now.

"There are no more akumas to fight," Plagg explained, as if that were the only reason to ever be Chat Noir. He looked away, morose. "It's time for me to disappear. It's better that way."

"Plagg, no," Adrien denied, going to his knees near the bed, trying to get Plagg to look at him, trying to figure out what he could mean by saying it would be better if he disappeared. He reached out to take the dark spirit in his hands to comfort him, but Plagg dodged, flying to the top of his climbing wall, out of reach. Adrien followed him, standing at the bottom, staring up at the black spot above his head, doing his best to try and think what he could have done to make both Plagg and Marinette want to distance themselves from him. What was it? What did he do? Why was Plagg talking like this?

"Plagg?" He called, feeling slightly betrayed, but then jumped when his door opened, his whole body jerking toward Nathalie as she entered to check on him with her completely expected and yet so devastatingly poor sense of timing.

"Oh, Adrien," she said, apparently surprised to find him up and dressed and standing so near the door. She took in his body language, her eyes narrowing into concern. "What are you doing?"

"N-nothing," Adrien answered, trying very hard not to look again at the wall, though he doubted Plagg were even still up there. He'd probably hurried into hiding the moment the doorknob turned.

"Then come with me," Nathalie invited, reaching for him. He noticed she was wearing earrings today. "I've got breakfast waiting for you."

Don't look at the wall, he reminded himself as he rather stiffly went to Nathalie's side. She put her arm around him, guiding him out of the room, away from Plagg. He wanted to call over his shoulder. Something like, "I'm coming right back," or "we're not done talking about this," but with Nathalie there, he couldn't say anything at all. At least not to Plagg.

"Sorry for the hassle," he said, knowing how much Nathalie's schedules meant to her. "You could have woken me up."

"No, I couldn't. You were sleeping so well," Nathalie told him as they went. "It's been weeks since you've slept all night like that. It must mean you're getting better."

I am better, Adrien thought. I just hate that it seems to be at the expense of everyone else. He would almost rather go back to how it was, the pain, the moments he couldn't catch his breath, if he could also have Plagg and Ladybug the way they used to be. But then he looked at Nathalie, at the new softness in her posture, and changed his mind again, thinking of how he hadn't been the only one healed yesterday. Nathalie and Valerie had also woken this morning without pain. He could trade away his own comfort, but not theirs.

"Your father already ate early this morning," Nathalie continued when Adrien didn't say anything. "He's in a teleconference right now with the coordinators of the Valentine's presentation in Milan about some last minute items they'd like and finishing up the legal technicalities. Should be the last meeting, but it could take another hour or so. He asked me to stay with you if you needed it."

"Thanks, Nathalie." He didn't mind her company, but he found himself fidgety as she brought him an omelet and fruit and sat next to him while he ate it. He wanted to ask her questions about yesterday, but he also wanted her to not remember yesterday. It made it difficult to say anything at all. Not to mention the other questions he had that he couldn't ask her no matter what she remembered. About Ladybug and Plagg. Secrets he'd kept from her before any of this had ever started.

"You're very quiet," Nathalie pointed out, as if she also didn't remember all the meals that had happened just like this, where Adrien ate and she stood silently nearby, neither of them talking at all, as if they were both alone though they were only meters apart. Reminding Adrien that he lived in a brand new world now. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm . . . thinking," Adrien answered, trying not to make it weird, or weirder than it was already. There was so much going on, and none of it could be discussed with Nathalie. The person he really needed, he decided, was Valerie. She already knew all his secrets. She could help him sort it out; he knew it.

"About what?" Nathalie prompted.

"Whether my dad will let me out of the house today," Adrien answered, settling on the safest thing he could come up with in the moment.

"Ah, well, that would probably depend on what you were going to do," Nathalie said. That comment brought Adrien up short. There was so much he needed to do, starting with a visit to Valerie. Then Marinette. Then the singing tonight if the visit to Marinette went well enough. It hadn't occurred to him until this moment that he might have to choose. If he could only do one, which would it be? Or would his father not allow any of it? But how could he do that? After yesterday?

Before he could answer, the buzzer from the front door interrupted them. Nathalie looked confused, checking her watch, obviously not expecting anyone. Adrien wasn't expecting anyone either, but about three names jumped into his head as to who he wished would be visiting. He'd already stood up before Nathalie had quite finished going through her mental list of potential guests.

"Hold on, Adrien," she cautioned him, safety always coming before curiosity for her. They went together to the entryway; Adrien doing his best to be patient as Nathalie went through her protocol for when someone arrived without an appointment, bringing up the camera for the main door to see who was on the other side of it.

"It's Valerie," Adrien identified her immediately, delighted that she had come, just the person he needed. She stood straight and commanding on their front steps, waiting in a long charcoal gray wool skirt and winter boots, her shawl long enough that it draped her shoulders, crossed in front of her, then looped around so that the corners knotted at the small of her back. Two miniature braids were plaited back from her temples, but most of her hair still fell loose, as if she wanted it out of her face but also wanted somewhere for Nooroo to hide. Her cane was nowhere in sight.

"What could she possibly want?" Nathalie muttered to herself, and for a second Adrien worried that she wouldn't let her in.

"Dad asked her to come," he volunteered, then went on quickly since he knew his father wouldn't be available for a while. "But I can wait with her until he's done."

Nathalie considered the camera, studying Valerie waiting patiently outside, before nodding her acceptance to that plan and typing in the unlocking sequence. Valerie's eyes passed over them quickly as the door opened, taking in everything at once. Nathalie's earrings. Adrien's expression. Now that Adrien understood more about her and what she could do, he noticed her noticing.

"I'm here to speak with Gabriel," she announced, her hands clasped together in front of her the only hint that she wasn't quite as comfortable with this as she appeared.

"Please come in," Nathalie greeted politely, stepping to the side after opening the heavy door. "Mr. Agreste is currently in a meeting, but if you don't mind waiting, Adrien has offered to keep you company."

"Thank you, Nathalie," Valerie returned, smiling good humoredly at her, at how she behaved, stepping confidently over the threshold. "You're looking well." Nathalie blushed slightly. "I don't mind waiting with Adrien at all." She caught Adrien's eye, winking her left one. He smiled, doing his best to hold still for the formalities to be over. He wanted to take her hand and drag her upstairs to his room where they could talk.

"Yes, thank you," Nathalie said, slightly thrown off by the attention. "Can I get you anything?"

"No," Valerie answered, completely focused on Adrien now. Nathalie bowed her head slightly, following her gaze.

"I'll come and find you when Mr. Agreste is finished," she said, more question than statement.

"Thanks, Nathalie. We'll be in my room," Adrien offered as a dismissal. She inclined her head again, stepping backwards away from them towards the dining room, leaving them alone at last.

"What's going on, Adrien?" Valerie asked immediately, keeping her voice low, discerning at once that he was worried, that he needed to talk to her. He caught a glimpse of Nooroo peeking out from behind Valerie's neck, tucked in warm between the folds of the shawl and Valerie's hair.

"I need your help," Adrien answered, not knowing how long he had until his father's meeting was finished, knowing he should get right to the point. "Will you come upstairs?"

"Lead the way," she invited.

"It's Plagg," he explained as he walked with her. "and Ladybug. They're . . . I don't know; they're different. I can't get either of them to talk to me. Ladybug told me to stay away from her last night." Guilt flushed Valerie's face. "And Plagg just told me I should take off my Miraculous, that he thinks it's better if he disappears."

"Oh," Valerie said simply, but Adrien felt tension leave his shoulders. It sounded like she knew what happened, like she understood where he absolutely couldn't.

"Maybe he's right," he offered. "I mean, Hawkmoth is . ." he fumbled, feeling too weird talking about Hawkmoth now that he knew it was his father, feeling fortunate that he'd discovered this detail shortly before there was no longer any such threat so it wasn't something he had to strategize about.

"Stop, Adrien," Valerie said. They stood right outside his bedroom door now. "I think we are agreed that we would very much rather go forward than backward with our lives, so there is no need to ever talk about Hawkmoth again. As for your Miraculous, I met with the Guardian just last night, and he told me that he intended for you and Ladybug to keep them. After all, they were created long before Hawkmoth."

Her words were an interesting mixture of ache and wonder to him as he realized that even though the main threat of Paris was gone, Plagg wouldn't be taken away from him again yet. There was something off about Valerie's tone, though. The way she said it. As if she were still keeping a secret, something about the future of Chat Noir that she wasn't very pleased with. He decided not to ask her right now. If it were important, she would tell him.

"May I speak with Plagg?" Valerie asked, breaking into his musings, filling him again with relief.

"Yes," he agreed immediately, slumping against his door, using his weight to open it. Nooroo flashed ahead of them and disappeared, free in the safe space of his room that already secreted another kwami. Valerie watched her fly, her face full of fond admiration. Adrien secured the door behind him, gesturing for Valerie to make herself comfortable on his sofa while he turned in slow circles, chin up, looking for some sign of Plagg in the room, wishing that their reunion was more like Valerie's and Nooroo's. They'd been apart for years but had returned to each other as if there had been no separation. He'd been apart from Plagg for a few weeks but they weren't coming together at all.

"Plagg?" He called. "Where are you? Valerie's here; please come down." He knew he was speaking to him as if he couldn't see for himself, but he wasn't sure what to say to him. He wasn't sure where they were together, different pages of different books. The only thing he was sure of was that Valerie could bridge whatever gap that distanced them right now.

"It's all right, Adrien," Valerie soothed, still standing calmly by the couch. "We can't blame him for not being happy to see me. He can stay where he's comfortable." The gloom of the sky outside filled the room with shadows, even the few sunny patches seemed weak and cold. She breathed slow and deep before unexpectedly going to her knees, a smooth, controlled motion that surprised Adrien.

"Plagg, I beg your forgiveness," she said, with more formality than Adrien had ever seen. He was always so casual with Plagg, who actually seemed to enjoy it, so it was odd to see Valerie treating him with the respect he likely deserved as the spirit of destruction, like she was initiating some sort of ancient ritual. The moment the request left her mouth, Plagg shot down from the top of Adrien's bookcase as quick as Valerie's whip. Nooroo followed much slower, coming to Adrien, hovering close to his head at one side. He wondered how much of Plagg's cooperation here had been Valerie's apology and how much had been Nooroo's persuasion.

"Don't do that," Plagg was saying impatiently. "Stand up."

Valerie obeyed, cupping her hands around the kwami. Adrien felt a tiny stab of jealousy. Plagg hadn't let him do that. Nooroo touched his cheek softly in support, keeping silent.

"If you won't accept my apology," Valerie stated, holding Plagg at eye level so she wouldn't look down on him. "Then I hope you will accept my thanks."

"Would you stop?" Plagg begged, a hint of a whine creeping into his voice. "There's nothing to apologize or thank me for."

Valerie caught Adrien's eyes for a moment as she moved to the couch, perching gently at the edge of it and setting Plagg down along the back so they could speak as equals. Nooroo tugged at Adrien's collar, but he'd already understood. Valerie wanted them to come closer.

"On the contrary," Valerie corrected. "You were the key to everything, Plagg." Nooroo kissed Adrien's cheek, sensing his confusion. "Without you, I would still be hiding in the hotel basement hating my life, missing Nooroo. Without you, Hawmoth would still be using her against her will. Without you, Adrien would have died when he fell yesterday. You saved us. You deserve all our thanks."

Plagg glared at her while Adrien took a seat behind her on the couch, putting a hand on her shoulder as she continued to focus on his kwami. Despite the truth of her words, Plagg wasn't ready to let go of the parts she was leaving out. How his powers had almost killed both of them in separate ways, how his darkness had almost taken over Valerie completely. Adrien could tell he was hesitant to accept any explanation where he could have done something good. Adrien opened his mouth to add his opinion to what Valerie was saying, but Nooroo pulled on his hair, keeping him quiet.

"You know it wasn't like that," Plagg said.

"I know you feel it wasn't like that," Valerie answered. "And I can see how you would feel that way. I can't deny that much of what happened was awful and frightening. If you had spoken to me last night, I would have agreed with you on every point, but Master Fu helped me understand it differently."

"You saw Master Fu?" Plagg repeated, slightly more interested, the tiniest bit hopeful.

"He was waiting for me at home yesterday," Valerie went on, both Adrien and Plagg hanging on every word. "When I was feeling like I had made every mistake possible. When I felt the consequences of my actions would result in me being left alone, undeserving of companionship, not worthy to be a Chosen anymore. I thought he was there to take Nooroo from me, but that wasn't why he came. He wants us to move forward, Nooroo and I – you and Adrien."

"You and Nooroo are different," Plagg resisted, looking sadly at Adrien. "It always ends badly for me and my Chosen. They are always lost one way or another. To darkness. To insanity. Look what I did to you and Adrien already."

"Yes, just look!" Valerie replied emphatically. "Look at my face, Plagg. Look at my eyes, my hand. Look at Adrien, how much he missed you and wants to have your friendship back again. Look how much you mean to him. You were right not to choose me. I was the one who continued to use your power against your will and warning. But Adrien is different. You were completely right to choose him, and there is nothing stopping you from going back to how you were before."

"I destroy things, Valerie," Plagg protested. "Ladybug is the one who healed you, not me. She's the one you should be thanking right now."

"Believe me, I would love to, but for that, we will need your help."

Adrien didn't think he could pay any more attention to the exchange happening between Valerie and Plagg, but these words pulled him in harder. He caught Nooroo smiling out of the corner of his eye, a tiny sly sort of smile, as if she enjoyed watching Valerie work her charm like this. Plagg was also staring at Valerie, not comprehending how he could possibly be of any service where Ladybug was concerned. He looked as if he were ready to return to his sulking in the bookcase.

"I've made a lot of mistakes," Valerie confessed, her tone edged in something bitter. Adrien could tell that she'd said this many times already, to different people, that repeating it hadn't made it any easier for her. "Too many, really, but what I did to Ladybug is probably the worst and it's not something I can make right by myself."

"What do you mean?" Adrien couldn't stop himself cutting in here, switching his seat from behind Valerie to her other side, so Plagg sat between them. It made sense to him suddenly, the way Ladybug was behaving toward him. If Valerie had touched her with her powers, had changed her heart in some way, that would explain what happened between them last night. Valerie raised her eyes to his for a moment, but couldn't keep looking at him for long.

"I didn't touch her," Valerie prefaced, as if it would soften what she had done somehow. "But I said things, horrible things. I made her doubt herself." She paused, as if she could tell that she was being too vague, that she would have to give them all the details. "It was before I saw her look at you yesterday, Adrien. I didn't understand until then what I'd done."

"I don't understand," Adrien said, frightened for no reason. "What did you do?"

"I told her that she was putting you in danger, that she couldn't protect you, that the only reason she is successful is because of Chat Noir and how he is so willing to sacrifice himself for her but that she likely wouldn't see him again. I cut into her soul, drove a wedge between you, because I was only thinking of what I knew was best for you, Adrien," Valerie defended herself. "I know you love her, but I didn't think she loved you. Not only that, how far could your relationship go if she has to hide behind a mask, never able to tell you who she really is? I wanted you to see if you could fall in love with the girl who made you the scarf instead. It seemed like a better idea for you to see what could happen with her. . . . I think you called her Marinette?"

Adrien couldn't help it; he started to laugh, startling both Valerie and Plagg. Even Nooroo looked confused and slightly apprehensive. He pulled himself together, not for their sake, but because he knew if he kept going he would probably start crying.

"I've been meaning to ask," Adrien began as they all stared at him. "You and Mom fought together; you were partners. And you knew each other, with or without a mask. I was wondering if that made things easier for you, knowing both identities."

"Why are you asking me this?" Valerie said, intent on his face, trying to figure out why he had changed the topic of their conversation so quickly. Adrien debated telling her, but then decided that just because she knew Ladybug's name didn't actually mean she knew who she was. Not only that, she knew how to keep secrets. He trusted her completely.

"Because Ladybug _is_ Marinette," he revealed. "And I do love her either way."

Valerie stood up, the shock of what Adrien had just said not allowing her to keep still.

"No!" She exclaimed, putting her hands to her face, then bringing them away again. "How long have you known? How did you find out? Does she know who you are? No, she doesn't or she would have . . . are you sure?" He couldn't tell if she were happy about this or not. She was definitely something, but whether it was a good or bad emotion wasn't clear. As he tried to think how to phrase his answer, he reached out to Plagg, stroking his ears, hoping he would stay where he was as they continued to talk about Ladybug and why Plagg was so important for her to heal from what Valerie had said to her. Now that they'd established that Adrien's feelings were true to both the superhero and the girl who knit him a scarf, he wanted to return to how they could help her.

"I just found out," Adrien said. "But I am very sure. But last night she told me to stop acting like I'm Chat Noir and stay away from her. And now I can't get Marinette to talk to me either. I want to help her. I want us to be closer. I thought I could let her know who I am since I already know about her. I figured you and Mom knew, and you were as close as any two people could be."

"Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" Valerie asked him.

"I'm not feeling particularly lucky at the moment," Adrien said, finally giving a voice to the disappointment he felt about what should have been the most triumphant day for them all. Valerie bent over him to take his face gently in her fingers. "I mean, I just figure out that my lady and the girl I love are the same person, but then they both disappear and never want me to talk to them again."

"She's trying to protect you, Adrien," she told him confidently, dropping her hands. "You know her best, but I do know that for Emilie and me, it did help us to know who our partner was. It gave us strength for both of our identities. I think, now that I've seen how she feels about you, I think it could help her to know."

"How she feels about me?" Adrien asked.

"You're her whole world, Adrien," Valerie told him, her words slamming something shut inside his soul.

"No, I'm not. She's never hardly said two words to me. Well, lately she has because she's been helping me at school, but before that . . . how can you be so sure?"

Valerie shook her head at him, like he was being ridiculous, but the doubt in his heart was too strong to just accept what she was telling him. Marinette was sweet and kind; she always gave her all for anyone who needed her help – as both his classmate and as a superhero. She gave him her support as Marinette because he'd asked for it. She saved him as Ladybug because that was her job. And he loved her for all of these things, and he hoped that she could love him back, but he just hadn't seen any hint that she did – not when he was Adrien and especially not when he was Chat. But Valerie said she had seen it . . . and she was an expert on reading people's emotions. Could she be right? But if she was, then what happened?

"Well, I've never met Marinette," Valerie said, trying to answer his question. "But I can guess from her gift that she's loved you in secret for a long time and didn't feel like she could tell you. She's been too afraid to risk your rejection, I suspect. But yesterday I saw Ladybug look at you and there was no way to misunderstand her feelings. I've only seen that kind of devotion twice before in my life. The first time it was your parents – they would look at each other this way. The second time it was the look on your face in my apartment when Ladybug came to you on Christmas Eve and told you she was going to take care of you. I say, you're very lucky Adrien, to have given your heart to someone who will cherish it forever."

"But now she won't even talk to me," Adrien lamented, feeling pulled down all of a sudden. He felt Plagg hug his thumb, the gesture twisting in his heart as he also twisted his wrist to open his palm in invitation to the kwami. Plagg stepped into it, allowing Adrien to cuddle him to his chest, feeling like a piece of him had finally been restored but not quite big enough to patch his heart completely.

"Plagg can help you," Valerie said, returning their attention back to the ball of black in Adrien's hands. "She's feeling conflicted about you and Chat Noir, thanks to me. She feels like she hasn't been a good partner to Chat, which to her mind is why he never came to help her yesterday. Since she was working alone, it brought to her attention all the things she lacks as a superhero. She feels horrible, as do I, over what happened to you Adrien, even worse about what almost happened and what could happen in the future if she's put in a similar position. She's worried that her shortcomings will cost you something you can't get back. It's not surprising she told you to stay away; she can't cope with the idea of you putting yourself in Chat's place as her partner and getting hurt again. She couldn't live with herself if she felt she were responsible for the boy she loves being hurt or killed. And she's already mentally punishing herself for pushing Chat away."

"So what do we do?" Adrien begged, unsure how to overcome these lies that Ladybug was telling herself, still not quite allowing himself to believe that Valerie could be right about her feelings for him.

"Adrien can do nothing here," Valerie explained, looking very pointedly at Plagg. "And whether or not you decide to disclose your identity, the only person right now who can heal Ladybug, and consequently Marinette, is Chat Noir."

"That makes no sense," Plagg broke in suddenly, flying out from Adrien's palms. "I'm not risking Adrien for this."

"Plagg, wait!" Adrien called as he flew above his head, out of his reach. Valerie held out a soothing hand to him, asking him with the gesture to let her handle it.

"I understand, Plagg," she told him, receiving a snort in response. He'd disappeared into the bookcase again. "I know why you're hesitant to allow Adrien to transform. The last time hurt you both badly, and me using your powers the way I did certainly didn't help improve the idea that you aren't poisonous to everyone you come into contact with. But it isn't true, Plagg. Adrien is your Chosen, your very best if I'm reading you right. Don't you see? I made this mistake already. I took myself away from Emilie thinking it would save her pain, but it just caused more in the end. I don't want you to suffer like we did. You and Ladybug are doing the same thing to Adrien, and it's not fair to any of you."

"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore," Plagg's voice said, the words determined but the tone small. Adrien looked to Valerie, seeing that Nooroo also was watching her, waiting to see if they maybe needed to transform, if it would take Zephyr to help Plagg come away from his own darkness. "I should never have been joined to a Miraculous."

"Plagg?" Adrien called. Valerie looked at him but made no move to stop whatever he wanted to say. He wasn't quite sure what the right words would be, but he started talking anyway. "I hope you don't really mean that because having you in my life is definitely the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me and I don't want to be separated from you ever again. I consider you to be my very best friend, and I hate that choices I made are making you punish yourself like this. If it's so important to you, we won't transform again. I'll figure something else out, but I think that if you can trust me, just a little bit, you'll see that we can do this. We can be how we used to be – better even. I think it would be good for you, Plagg. I want to show you that you don't just destroy things, that you're the only one who can fix the damage this time, but I won't do it unless you agree. So what do you say? Can we give Chat Noir a chance here?"

Valerie was smiling at him as he spoke, her expression pleased and proud. She mouthed "well done" to him as he finished, but her praise wasn't what he wanted. He stared at his bookcase, willing the dark spirit of destruction to come down, to sit on his shoulder, to whine amusingly about the weather and demand an unhealthy amount of Camembert. He wanted Plagg to sleep in his backpack, to doze on his head while he did his homework, to curl up next to his neck at night. He wanted to feel his weight in his pocket as he walked, to listen to him offer outrageous advice on trivial details. Even if he could never be Chat Noir again, he wanted Plagg to be his friend.

They waited; the snow finally starting outside, big fluffy flakes that shrank the world to just the inside of Adrien's room and the lives inside it. The newly reunited Chosen and their kwamis, loving and wanting the best for each other in many different ways.

When Adrien couldn't hold his breath anymore and Plagg hadn't come down, he lowered his head from the bookcase, hurt in a way he hadn't experienced before. He thought of his mother, wondering if this could be how she might have felt if she had known that Valerie would have rather been dead to her than put her in danger again. How awful to know that he wasn't worth the risk.

Valerie touched his arm as he began to turn away, using her free hand to tilt his chin back up. His first instinct was to resist her. He was done pushing this; he didn't have it in him to talk someone into being his friend any more than he had already. But then he saw her eyes flick upward and back, indicating that he should take another look, before releasing him. He twisted to glance one more time to where Plagg had disappeared only to see him floating quite close to his head, his little arms crossed across his chest.

"If we're going to do this," he said, sounding slightly more like himself. "I'm going to need some Camembert first."

"Whatever you want, buddy," Adrien agreed, relieved and completely unashamed that he was tearing up about this. Valerie searched the bag at her hip, bringing out a small wooden circular box.

"Here," she offered. "You left this at my apartment." Plagg fell on the cheese eagerly. Adrien watched him, almost too happy to see him doing something he always did. Valerie again put a supportive hand on his arm. He was coming back. They were going to help Marinette next. Things were going to work out. Finally.

"So what is the plan exactly?" Plagg asked with his mouth full.

"We'll transform," Adrien replied immediately, already anticipating how great that would be. "Then we'll go see Marinette –"

"No," Valerie interrupted. "Not Marinette. You need to talk to Ladybug."

"But. . . they're the same person," Adrien clarified, certain that they had already established this.

"I know, but Ladybug is the one Chat needs to see first. Don't talk to Marinette. Just go out as Chat. Let yourself be seen. Let her come to you; it won't take long."

"Then what do I say?" Adrien asked, not certain if he should be trusted to do this anymore. "Will you come with me?" It had taken them both to talk to Plagg after all. Maybe it would take more than just Chat to help Marinette. "Maybe Zephyr should?"

There was a knock on Adrien's door, causing Plagg to jump into his jacket, the gesture so comfortingly familiar to him that he had to close his eyes and place his hand over the kwami. Nooroo also ducked into Valerie's hair, but came out into the open again as Gabriel entered the room, startling him momentarily until he recognized her, still not used to how she behaved now that she was no longer under his control.

"Valerie," Gabriel greeted, pausing awkwardly before finally adding the kwami to the salutation. "Nooroo. Nathalie just informed me you were here. I apologize for keeping you waiting."

"It's quite all right, Gabriel," Valerie returned smoothly, and Adrien could see for a second how comfortable she was messing with him, how she still enjoyed flustering him a little. Some things, it appeared, never changed. "We were having the most wonderful chat, but your timing is perfect since Adrien was just telling me he has somewhere to go this morning and he'd like to talk to you about it first."

"Oh?" Gabriel asked, almost a challenge. Adrien hadn't asked his permission for anything yet. He wasn't sure he could now that both Gabriel and Valerie were looking at him. He hadn't prepared, hadn't made a plan.

"It's my friend, Marinette," he began, hesitantly. He'd never been polished about asking his father for anything. He was surprised that Valerie had mentioned anything at all about his going anywhere, but even though she was his friend, it still made more sense that she would prefer him not sneaking out without his father knowing. It would be better to have his father's approval before he left, even though he knew he would likely be going either way. "She's the one who has been helping me so much at school? Anyway, she's been having a hard time and I'm pretty worried about her, so I was hoping you would let me go and cheer her up?"

"Is this the person you were hoping would call you yesterday evening? The one you kept checking your phone for?" Gabriel asked, as always giving no indication whether Adrien's request would be honored or not.

"Actually, yes," Adrien replied, shocked that his father had noticed.

"This girl is important to you?"

"Very," Adrien said decisively, though he was apprehensive about the interrogation. Was it a good thing that Marinette was important to him or would this be seen as a weakness? Would his father not approve? How could he not approve, he didn't know anything about her. But maybe the not knowing would be the cause for the disapproval? Adrien wondered if he would ever be at a place where his father would not be an intimidating mystery to him.

"And how long would you plan on being with her today?"

Plagg gave him an encouraging pat from inside his jacket, knowing from his position next to Adrien's heart that Gabriel's questions were freaking him out. Go for it, Adrien, the pat told him. Ask for it all so you can settle for something.

"The . . . whole day?" Adrien ventured, wishing he sounded surer. "I thought we'd do our homework and then later tonight there's this student get together at the stadium I hoped to take her to?" Gabriel's eyes had narrowed as he spoke, and Adrien could tell he'd asked for too much. He opened his mouth, ready to cut the stadium from his request, but Valerie beat him before he could say anything.

"Let him go, Gabriel," she advocated, smiling a tricksy sort of smile, folding her arms and leaning towards his father slightly. Adrien wished in that moment that he had been at school with them, had seen them when they were teenagers, on each other's nerves but still watching over Emilie as an unlikely team. "I seem to remember another young man who would do just about anything for the comfort of his lady. Besides, you and I have a lot to go over?"

For a moment, Adrien worried that Gabriel might crack the lenses in his glasses with the sharp look he gave Valerie, who just stood there with one eyebrow raised, looking incorrigibly teasing. It almost made him reconsider staying home today. He had an idea of what they might have to talk about, and even if he didn't, just the thought of watching them interact was entertainment enough. It wasn't often he got to see someone who wasn't scared to death of Gabriel.

"Father?" Adrien began, ready for some sort of compromise.

"You may go," Gabriel relented, speaking to his son but staring at Valerie.

"Really? I mean, thank you, Father!"

"However," Gabriel continued, and Adrien froze, waiting for the conditions. "I expect you to be home for dinner by six; your friend may come if you wish. We'll eat early so you can attend the event at the stadium, but you'll need to come home directly afterward."

"That's perfect. That's so perfect. Thank you," Adrien practically stuttered as he began moving around his room, stuffing a folder and a book into his backpack, looking around for anything he might be forgetting, relieved that things were starting to fall into place the way they should for once. "I'll check in," he promised as he shouldered the bag.

"Don't forget your scarf," Valerie instructed, coming close to him to tie it herself around his neck. "You'll know what to say," she promised him in a whisper as she hugged him. "Now go."

He thanked his father one more time, walking backward out of his room, getting one last glimpse of them standing there together without him. His father, one hand on his hip and the other relaxed at his side, watching him go with the cool look he usually wore, the warmth of affection just barely crinkling the corners of his eyes. Valerie stood one footstep away, Nooroo on top of her head, holding the strap of her bag with both hands and beaming at him. He hoped one of them would tell him what they talked about later, but he was much too eager to leave to think about it long.

It took a lot of mental energy to keep calm as he made his way out of his house. He had to pause and let Nathalie know what he was doing, that he might be bringing a friend to dinner, that they would be eating early, could she please ask his driver to drop him off at the school as soon as possible. He pulled on his coat, trying not to make it seem like he was rushing, tossed a casual, "I'll be outside. Thank you!" over his shoulder and leapt down the front steps . . . where he was forced to wait, pacing back and forth.

"You're driving?" Plagg asked as he tucked himself comfortably into Marinette's scarf.

"Yeah, it's not very suspicious that way, see? And I can leave my bag somewhere over there before we transform and then we'll –" He stopped in his explanation but not in his motion. "No, I don't know. I haven't got that far."

"Adrien, are you ok? Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Definitely!"

"It's just that I can see your pulse in your neck."

Adrien forced himself to pause in his pacing, but ended up shaking his nerves out with his hands instead. Where was his driver?

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Plagg speculated. "Maybe we should wait to transform? Get your heart rate down first?"

"It's ok, Plagg. I promise. I'm really excited about this; it's not panic. They are totally not even close to the same thing." The anxiety had been debilitating, sucking his strength, wearing him out. This was completely opposite. He felt like he should be moving, running, shouting – the energy in him humming like a live wire. "But I guess they probably look the same," he allowed, crossing his arms but tapping his fingers against his elbows.

Plagg made a vague grunting sound as the car pulled up to the front steps, allowing Adrien into the warmth of the back seat for the short drive over to the school. He explained what he was doing to his chauffeur, telling him that he absolutely didn't have to wait for him as he would be a while, then dashed up the stairs. Most of the classrooms would be locked over the weekend, but the main doors were open. It didn't take him long to tuck his stuff into a corner; he wouldn't be needing it yet. Maybe not at all, depending on how his conversation went. If she even came. He was back outside again, coatless, in half a minute, the scarf in his hands. She had to come. He had to talk to her.

"Are you ready, Plagg?" He asked his kwami, who floated in front of him, looking hesitant.

"Not really," Plagg told him. "But I think you're ready enough for both of us."

Adrien checked around to make sure they were alone, the snowfall doing a wonderful job of keeping the streets clear, accepting Plagg's statement to as close to agreement as he could manage right now. He took a deep breath, curling his fingers into a fist, allowing the Miraculous to push into his palm.

"Plagg – Claws Out!" He commanded. The kwami disappeared like a reverse spark into the ring, and Chat Noir covered Adrien like the comfort and potential of a new day. Oh, how he'd missed this! He took a moment to carefully fold up the blue scarf, tucking it into his belt in place of his baton. He slid his gloved hands over the metal, extending the tool so he could use it to vault into the skyline. Let yourself be seen, Valerie had said. She'll come to you. It won't take long.

So he put himself on parade, giving in to the excitement, the rush of this unique freedom. He whooped into the winter wind, played tag with the snowflakes, slid on the icy slopes of the rooftops only to jump at the last second to another roof across the street. And he ran. Ran. And Ran!

BB

"I really think you should come," Alya coaxed again, her face very close to her phone screen as if she could reach through to pull Marinette up off her bed. "Everyone's going to be there; it's going to be super fun."

"No, it'd be weird. You and Nino should have some time to yourselves for a change," Marinette denied, grateful that she hadn't had an opportunity in all that had happened to even tell Alya that Adrien had asked her to go to the stadium. "He is going with you, right?"

"Sure. He's bringing a big blanket for us both. But you could hang with the girls."

"It's really ok, Alya. I just don't feel like going out tonight." Tikki watched her sadly as she spoke, so she turned her head. She was having trouble shaking how down she was. Her parents had cooked her favorite breakfast and made cheerful conversation with her this morning. The bakery had been warm and the regular customers had been kind and even funny. Tikki too had been nothing but encouraging and patient, but even though she was surrounded in so much love, she just couldn't get over the feeling of something being wrong and missing. She was hopelessly lonely and sad, and feeling completely selfish and wretched because she had absolutely no excuse to feel that way. And the last thing she wanted to do was inflict her current mood onto anyone. She wasn't even sure why she'd answered the phone when Alya called. It seemed a mistake to her now.

"Well, it's not for hours yet, so maybe you'll change your – hey!" Marinette blinked, confused, as the screen blurred. Alya was moving, the phone in her hand pumping up and down faster than the connection's ability to focus. "No way! Oh, no way!"

"Alya?" Marinette asked, wondering if she should be worried. She heard the squeak of a latch, the sill appearing in the screen as Alya appeared to be leaning far out her bedroom window. "What is it?"

"You are _not_ going to believe this," Alya began, the journalist in her thriving on sensationalism. "I think I just saw Chat Noir."

"What? Really?" Marinette grabbed her phone with both hands. Alya was right. She didn't believe it. She didn't dare.

"Girl, I gotta get out there. Unless you need me?" Marinette allowed herself a tiny small smile at her friend's enthusiasm, knowing that in another couple minutes she would be in her winter gear on her bike following Chat. Her smile turned bittersweet as she realized that she was going to put her spots on and do the exact same thing. She turned her head back around to notice Tikki, who was grinning at her with her tiny paws clasped under her chin.

"Get going," Marinette invited. "You're going to lose him."

"Thanks, Marinette! I know you're dying to know where he was yesterday too! I'll call you back later!" And just like that, Alya was off on an adventure to see what Chat was up to.

"Let's go, Marinette!" Tikki encouraged the second the phone went dark. Marinette stood up quickly only to have her enthusiasm snuff out in an instant.

"What if it's not him?" She asked, letting her doubt get to her. "What if it's someone else now? Or what if it is him but he really doesn't want to talk to me? And what is he doing out? There's no akuma. What if –"

"Marinette," Tikki began, her tone stern. "You know there's only one way to find out the answer to any of these questions, right? Let's go!"

"Yeah, but what if?"

"Marinette!"

"Yeah, ok, you're right. One way to find out. Spots on!" Tikki had time to wink at her before merging with the Miraculous, transforming Marinette into Chat's partner. Ladybug opened the trapdoor on her ceiling to let herself out onto her balcony, only now realizing that she should have asked Alya which direction Chat had been going. Without an akuma to focus them, she wasn't even sure how she was going to find him now. All she knew was that a moment ago, he had gone past Alya's apartment. But then what?

She thought of all the possibilities, but there were a lot. Just start moving, she told herself. If he's out, you'll find him. The yo-yo snapped out of her fingers without her really paying much attention as to where it landed. She picked her direction at random, flying over the Pont des Arts bridge, pausing on the roof of the school, returning to Alya's place, giving the stadium a glance over. There was a lot of snow. A lot of closed doors and abandoned streets. No sign of Chat. Not on the rooftop of Le Grand Paris hotel. Nowhere around Notre Dame. Not in the courtyard of the Louvre. She felt herself grow frustrated, then despondent. Maybe Alya had been wrong? Maybe she'd seen a crow and mistook it for Chat in the snowflakes. Maybe she was running around Paris in the cold for nothing.

She stopped at the top of the Eiffel tower as these thoughts became too heavy for her to carry. Paris smeared below her as her eyes teared up. She covered her mouth with her hand, upset that it had come to this again. Her alone and crying. Her regretting every single time she'd pushed Chat away. Her wondering if she would ever be the same again, ever find peace with what she'd done.

She went to her knees, three hundred meters above the city, seeing it stretch away from her. So many houses. So many people. No Chat.

"I miss you," she sobbed. "I miss you so much," she called, her words falling and disappearing like the snowflakes into the Seine. "Where did you go?"

"Everything all right, my lady?"

No. She choked trying to stop crying, all her muscles tightening as she curled over her knees. His voice was so kind, quiet but strong, and right behind her. She trembled. Should she turn around? Would he actually be there if she did? What would she do if he weren't, if this were all in her head?

Instead of answering, she closed her eyes, bracing herself for disappointment. Turning slowly, she reached out her hand. If he were actually there, he would take it. If it were really Chat, he would help her to her feet. If he were hers the way he once was, he would come to her. She squeezed her eyes tightly closed, waiting.

"Chat?" She said, her voice unbelievably timid. Her heart beat so hard, already wounded, ready to plummet in despair as her hand stretched out, empty.

"I'm here," he told her, his voice suddenly close. She couldn't stop shaking. She couldn't open her eyes. His hand found her hand, tugging her gently up and against him, warm and solidly real in front of her. She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his collarbone, so relieved it hurt, her heart now full and stretching in a new painful way. "I know," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

One of his arms curled tight around her ribs, the other reaching up so his palm could rest against the back of her head. He pulled her in securely, merging their heartbeats, and she felt all her muscles relax into his strength. She'd thought before when she was alone, in her room, in the dark, that it wasn't possible to feel any more pain over this, but now she discovered she'd been wrong. It seemed she'd been holding some back, not allowing herself to feel part of her grief, something in her keeping it leashed tight. But here, with Chat holding her, finally with her again, she could let it go, all of it in a sobbing rush at once.

Chat Noir kept close and tight, not making any attempt to quiet her. He let her take her time, let her cry it all out, rubbing his hand up and down her back, bowing his head over her shoulder, shielding her as if he'd never been gone.

"Chat, I'm sorry," she gasped. "I'm so sorry!"

"Me too," he said. He lowered them to the platform, resting against a pillar, folding her onto his lap. Her ear settled against his chest, the pace of his pulse audible to her this way. She placed her hand over his bicep the way he had before, like a child holding onto her favorite blanket, hugging him tight. He felt so familiar under her hands. She felt so unexpectedly at peace in his arms.

"Are you all right?" She asked him when she could talk again, remembering the last time she'd been with him, almost a month ago now. "You were so sick. I thought I'd never see you again."

"You haven't seen me yet," he teased lightly. "Are you going to open your eyes at all?"

"I'm worried you'll disappear," she confessed, surprising herself. But she wasn't willing to let things go unsaid between them anymore. If this was to be their last meeting, then she needed to be honest and open. "Or maybe I'll wake up."

"Careful, Bugaboo, or I'm going to start thinking you missed me." She knew she deserved that, but it still cut her deeper than she thought it would. Another sob tore out of her before she even knew what was happening, and she did her very best to get even closer to Chat.

"All right," Chat comforted, altering their position a little so they could face each other. He put his hand along her face, his thumb resting just under her mask. "It's ok, my lady. Open your eyes, now. Look at me."

She sniffled, hating herself for it, but she did manage to lift her eyelids. Chat lifted her chin for her until their eyes met. He wiped her tears as she studied the lines of his face, his messy blonde hair, the pleasant twist of his smile. Of course someone had fallen in love with him. How could they help it? How could she have missed it? She watched his face tighten in concern as she felt hers crumple in distress, suddenly remembering Adrien. You can't have them both, she reminded herself, trying to remember that she had just come out after Chat to get some closure. That they would see each other just this last time so she could explain about Hawkmoth and wish him well. She knew it would be hard, but this was quickly becoming impossible. You can't have them both – you can't have either.

"You're so beautiful," Chat Noir said quietly, watching her face as her emotions tore her apart. Why was he telling her this now? Now when it actually meant something to her but it was too late? "But why are you so sad?"

"Because I did miss you," she said. "I missed you every day and I had no way to find out where you were or if you were ok, and there was this woman who was using your Miraculous who was so different than you and she told me . . . told me that –"

"Shhh," Chat Noir quieted her. "I know what she told you, but I need you to listen to me now. You are the most amazing girl I have ever known. You are strong and brave and kind and I have never wanted anything more in a partner or friend. I hated being away from you, not being able to help you. I'll never leave you again." He pressed his forehead against hers. She clung to his wrist.

"But," she protested. "But Hawkmoth doesn't have a Miraculous anymore. . . There won't be any more akumas to fight."

"Hawkmoth might be gone, but that doesn't mean there won't be any need for us, my lady. We can see each other whenever we want, every day."

"No," she heard herself say, amazed that she found the strength. She pulled away from him slightly. "It's not fair. You deserve better. I can't have you both."

"Both?" He clarified, tightening his hold, and she felt her face go red. She hadn't expected him to actually hear her, even though they were so close. "Oh, I get it." She turned her face away, out of his hand, completely ashamed. "But what if you could, though?"

"No, Chat, that's not right," she denied quickly. Even though she secretly despised whoever it was that Chat's civilian heart belonged to now, she absolutely could not allow him to cheat on her. She thought again about Adrien, about how she still hadn't confirmed with him for tonight. How she wished she had clear feelings for only one of them. She loved Adrien's smooth kindness. She loved Chat's playful support. "I heard that you are with someone. We couldn't do that to her."

"I would never," he replied with his mark of gentility that she used to roll her eyes about. Now she just heard how genuine he was, how much he cared about this girl. The way he once talked to her. "She's everything to me." Ladybug nodded, biting her lip. She had been so stupid. "She was there for me every time I needed her this past month. And I needed her so much. Even though she was dealing with a lot, she was with me. It's strange. I hadn't really noticed her before, she was just another girl at school, but when I couldn't be Chat, I started getting to know her better. I used to think she was so shy, but she's really funny and creative and sweet. I realized how much she reminded me of you, realized how much she meant to me. I didn't like it at first. I felt like I was betraying you, but I couldn't stop how I felt about her."

She looked at him, hurt and sad, trying to be happy that he had found whoever he was talking about. He deserves it, she lectured herself. He deserves everything. He shifted again, reaching behind him as if he were looking for something. She reluctantly scooted backward to allow him more freedom of movement, hanging her head, closing her eyes again. It would never be the same now. Of course she wouldn't understand how much it had meant to her until she couldn't get it back.

"Then I realized something else," Chat Noir continued, and Ladybug felt him drape something soft around her neck, using it to pull her close to him again. "I realized why she reminded me so much of you." Confused, she opened her eyes, seeing familiar sky-blue stitches looped over her, the ends gathered in Chat's hands. His smile was wide and gorgeous when she jerked her head up to stare at him. This scarf! The scarf she had knit for . . He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "I know who you are, Marinette."

"Adrien?" She could hardly say the name. Details started slamming into place in her head. Chat Noir lying sick under her hands in Valerie's apartment on Christmas Eve. Valerie later showing up with Chat's Miraculous and Adrien arriving at school recovering from a serious illness. How had she not seen it sooner?

"You can have both," he told her, serious and smiling. "I'm yours. Mask or no."

She remembered Adrien last night, remembered yelling at him to stop acting like he was Chat Noir. How he'd begged her to wait. How he'd wanted to tell her something. How she had thought he couldn't possibly have any more secrets. She felt suddenly very weak, felt tears sliding down her cheeks again. He'd been with her this whole time. She'd been taking care of him. He'd been helping her. She hadn't betrayed anyone.

"I suppose the only question here is whether that's something you want?" Chat Noir . . . Adrien . . . asked, and she could see him now. Behind the cat eyes and black mask. It was Adrien. Had always been Adrien, and she was getting a second chance.

"Yes," she confirmed, the only word she could get out before he leaned in and kissed her, both of them too happy to speak.

 **Author's Note: So, I'm sure there will be those of you who waited for this reunion so long that it will be disappointing to you. No way around that. I wrote about six versions of it before I settled on this one. But there is good news. THIS IS NOT THE END. I want more closure than this and I think you might too. I want them to go to the singing thing (as Chat and Ladybug or as Marinette and Adrien? Hmmm. I want Alya's and Nino's reaction to them as a couple at last. I want some Ladybug / Valerie interaction before we go. And I definitely can't get enough of Valerie and Gabriel. I'm tempted to write a whole second novel, a sequel to this one, so we can explore them some more. So while I can't promise how long it will take (Mom life), I can promise that this isn't it. One more chapter will do it, though. I think.**


	13. Chapter 13: The Wings of the Butterfly

**Author's Note: And here we are – the last chapter. Longer than all of the others and the longest wait for it too. This has been a wonderful experience. I've had just the best time writing this story. I may have already started the sequel (you guys wanted a sequel, right?) Thank you, for all your time and thoughtful responses, for joining me on this adventure. I hope you enjoy the final chapter. Thank you again!**

 **Chapter Thirteen: The Wings of the Butterfly**

"Chat . . . Um, Adrien?" Ladybug began, after the kiss, after the long hug that followed. There was still some hesitancy in her voice, and Chat Noir could feel her shivering against him.

"Chat," he said, decisively, encouraging. Even though now they knew, he felt they should keep each identity separate. Ladybug could not get used to calling Chat Noir by his other name, not if they were going to continue being superheroes of Paris. And Chat definitely wanted to continue being a superhero. "I'm Chat Noir right now." And it was so wonderful he didn't think he ever wanted to stop. But he knew he had to. The snow was still falling; they were extremely exposed to the weather on top of the Eiffel Tower, and from the way his lady curled into him for warmth and comfort, he could tell that ladybugs were not as resilient to the cold as cats were. It was time to go down, put in his claws for a while. Be with Marinette as Adrien and play spot the difference now that everything about them had changed. If she continued to be willing. This would be a new experience for them, but he thought, judging from how she'd responded to his question and kiss, that it would be a good one.

"Right," she agreed readily. "We shouldn't mix up the names. So Chat . . . can you tell me what happened?"

"Let's find somewhere warm first," he said, shifting away from her but keeping her hand, intending to lead her down from the tower. "Then we'll talk."

She looked at a loss for a moment, trying to think of somewhere private, her expression so very Marinette that Adrien wondered, again, how he could have missed that it was her for so long.

"Where?" She asked innocently. He knew as well as she did that they would be swarmed if they were at ground level. Ladybug and Chat Noir could not go out for a coffee and expect to have an uninterrupted private conversation, but that wasn't what he had in mind.

"I was thinking your place?" He suggested. "Or mine?" Personally, he hoped it would be hers. The thought of her cozy room with the scents of the bakery drifting up seemed soft and inviting to him right now. His house, while it was getting better, wasn't somewhere he wanted to take her yet. Especially since her most recent memories of the place were not the best.

"I think my parents might have something to say if they find Chat Noir suddenly in my room," Ladybug said, and Chat laughed.

"No doubt," he agreed. "But you're the only one going in through the balcony. I'm going to pick up my school bag and come over the conventional way. What do you think?" He tugged her gently toward the edge of the platform, ready to go, but she didn't move. If anything she pressed closer, snuggling tight, and Chat felt a little prick of pain that he'd made her worry so much.

"I know it's silly," she explained, but he already thought he understood. "I just really don't want you out of my sight, even for a few minutes. I don't want you to leave." It was such an endearing thing to say. Chat cupped her face in his hand, touching foreheads with her and closing his eyes. His heart melted just that much more, pouring into her. He didn't think he had anything left of himself that he hadn't given her already, but he imagined he'd be consistently surprised as they navigated this new place in their relationship.

"It's not silly," he reassured, kissing her cheek tenderly. "But if we stay up here any longer we'll be part of the architecture until spring thaw. Come on." He picked her up, relishing momentarily how easy the Miraculous made the action, then taking another moment to just enjoy the feel of her in his arms. How many times had it been the other way around? For the past while, it had been Marinette with her arms around him, it had been Marinette bowing her head over his, catching his gaze, speaking words of peace and encouragement. How nice it was to switch places, to give back the comfort. To have the girl he loved accept him at last. To have time to tell her about it.

He set her down, letting his grin get the better of his face. He tied the sky-blue scarf around her neck a little more securely and took out his baton. She watched him all the while, not smiling, still half expecting him to not really be there. "Race you?" He challenged, and triumphed when she finally smirked, one hand finding her hip. That's better, he thought. There's my lady.

"You could try," she told him, Ladybug's sass and charm returning to her at his invitation, filling his heart to the brim as he eased into how they were. He felt like he was walking into a familiar place that had been newly renovated, that he needed to pace the perimeter, look in all the corners, see what was new and what was not, an exciting exploration.

Ladybug threw out her yo-yo, leading the way, and he let her have the head start just so he could watch the perfect crimson arc of her split through the gloom of the clouds. Then with both hands on his baton, he took a flying dive after her. They traveled together across Paris more like a game of leap frog than a race. Ladybug would rush ahead but then suddenly stop and pause, checking behind her, making sure that he was still there, that he was keeping up, letting him move past her before taking off again. Back and forth, her ahead, then him, all the way to where Chat landed in a crouch in the new snow of the school roof with Ladybug a few seconds behind him across the street on her own balcony. Where they stood, staring at each other, separated by the falling snowflakes. Go inside, my lady, he gestured, wanting to make sure that she was secure. Her eyes didn't leave his face. He motioned again for her to go in. She crossed her arms, not blinking, and he realized that she wasn't going to move until he did.

"Count of three," he told her, emotional, waiting for her to nod. He held up a finger, pressing his palm forward so she would be sure to see. "One, two, and three." He pivoted, resisting the urge to look over his shoulder to make sure she'd done the same. If they kept checking, they'd be standing on their respective roofs forever. She won't go in until you do, he reminded himself. You're going to be with her in a minute, faster if you don't check.

So he didn't look back. He slipped through the emergency exit door and down to where he'd left his bag, pulling his claws in as he ran down the stairs, hardly taking a moment to check on Plagg as the spirit grabbed onto his shirt and held on for the ride.

"Why are we running?" Plagg asked, frightened. "Did something happen? Adrien, is everything all right?"

Adrien slowed only slightly to snag the handle of his bag from the floor, draping it over his head as part of the same motion. Everything he wanted was across the street.

"Adrien?" Plagg squeaked again, his voice now shrill with fear. Adrien paused, reaching for his kwami, realizing that he needed to reassure him before he did anything else. Plagg came willingly into his hands, allowing Adrien to hold him at eye level, the way he'd seen Valerie speak to him before, wanting Plagg to see his face. See for sure that there was nothing wrong, no reason to worry anymore.

"It's better than all right," Adrien said, hearing his voice almost tremble. "We're going to Marinette's right now. She knows who I am, and she's . . . I think she's happy about it."

"But you," Plagg insisted, peering into Adrien's eyes. "How was it? Chat Noir?" Adrien felt his heart squeeze tight for a moment at Plagg's concern. And he _was_ concerned, afraid that transforming had damaged him somehow. Like it had the last time.

"It's great to be back," Adrien answered, not hiding his jubilance about sprinting through the snowstorm. "We're ok, Plagg," he soothed. "You and me. Really." The kwami exhaled deeply, pacified, and Adrien released him so he could pull open his jacket, watching as Plagg smiled slightly, more in relief than anything else, and took the suggestion to curl against his heart. Adrien waited until Plagg was snuggled in close and still before dashing out the door and into the bakery.

The bell jangled alarmingly as he entered, pulling him up short as he realized he was still rushing around like Chat instead of making a good impression as Adrien. Marinette's parents had no idea what was going on. He needed to slow down.

"My goodness," Marinette's mother gasped as he turned around from making sure the door closed properly. "Can I help you?"

The bakery was warm and smelled lovely. Mrs. Cheng stood at the cash register with her fingers around a brown paper bag, in the middle of handing it to an older woman. Both of them stood frozen, surprised at his abrupt arrival. Plagg gave him a small pinch.

"Sorry," he apologized. "The wind caught the door."

Mrs. Cheng completed the paper bag hand off to her customer, and Adrien waited, patient only on the outside, holding the door for the woman as she left the bakery and securing it closed again behind her. By this time, Marinette's dad had arrived from somewhere in the back, bearing a tray of fresh croissants. Adrien noticed that he was alone with Marinette's parents, completely unprepared for having to speak with them.

"Is there something you're looking for?" Mr. Dupain asked him, standing still next to his wife, not bothering to set the tray down, his expression professionally confused, as if he knew that he should probably recognize Adrien, but he wasn't entirely certain.

"I'm a friend of Marinette's - Adrien," he introduced himself, not knowing if they remembered him or not. He'd only met them once before, but he could see recognition on Mrs. Cheng's face. It encouraged him a little. He bowed slightly. "I hadn't heard from her since yesterday's akuma attack, and I got worried. Can I see her? Is she home?"

They exchanged heavy glances with each other, some secret communication with their expressions alone. Mr. Dupain finally put down the tray. Adrien felt his hand go to the back of his neck as he waited. He hadn't thought that there would be any hesitation at this point. Where was Marinette? He hadn't anticipated going through a gatekeeper like this. They were worried; he could see, but not necessarily about him. He thought back to all his unanswered text messages last night. Apparently he wasn't the only person Marinette hadn't been speaking to.

"She . . . " he started but paused as they both turned sharply to stare at him. "We'd made plans to go out this evening, but I wanted to check with her to see if that's something she still wanted to do." Another secret glance, this one softer. Mrs. Cheng wore a slight smile as she looked at her husband. Adrien thought he caught a tiny nod.

"Hello, Adrien," he heard Marinette greet him as she peeked out from behind her father, and suddenly she was the only person in the room. Beautiful with or without her spots, especially right now as she arrived to confirm his presence at the bakery, that he hadn't come without good reason.

"Marinette," he said, surprised at his own voice. Surprised to hear that he sounded as though he truly hadn't seen her for days, hadn't just been kissing her on top of the Eiffel tower. "I was worried about you," he told her, honestly. She blushed as her dad put his arm around her, almost disappearing into his side. "Could we talk?"

When she nodded, invisible restraining lines snapped all over the room. Her parents almost imperceptibly shifted, becoming more welcoming when they realized that Adrien's company was something that Marinette wanted. He could detect a bit of relief in her mom's face, as if she hoped he could give Marinette something that they hadn't been able to. He hoped he could too. Marinette looked unsure as she stretched out her hand for his, reminding him of the tower, how he'd found her on her knees with her back to him. How she had reached out just like this, needing him to touch her, waiting for him to come, not sure if she could believe unless he did.

He crossed the bakery without any hesitation, taking the offered hand, kissing the top of it for good measure, letting her parents see that he was here for her, that he was going to take care of her. That he always would.

"We'll be upstairs," Marinette said to her family, and though her mom nodded them off without a word, her face was too open for Adrien not to see that she was happy about this. It looked nice, he decided. Parental affection mixed with worry and optimism. He hoped he could see that kind of expression on his own mother someday soon. He watched Mrs. Cheng's face over his shoulder, smiling at her, even as he followed Marinette, still holding her hand, through the back of the bakery and up the stairs to her room.

Adrien had always liked the feel of Marinette's room, though he'd only been here once before this. He liked the height of it, the warm wooden beams angled from the ceiling. Liked how to get in he had to come up the stairs through a trapdoor in the floor, then there were even more stairs that led up to her bed and above that, still higher, one more trapdoor to the balcony. It gave him the feeling of being in a treehouse or a secret fort. And it was covered with stuff, not cluttered, just full of all the trappings of the things Marinette loved. Dazzling paper buntings, photos, scattered CDs, the remnants of a craft project on the desk, a beautiful array of discovery that would never have been permitted in Adrien's own bedroom. In each direction, there was color and comfort. And at this particular second, there was Marinette herself standing in the center with her arms folded, looking bizarrely nervous, lovely, and forcefully casual.

"I love your room," Adrien told her unashamedly, trying to break through to where they could start talking the way he knew she wanted to talk. Why did she look so nervous? The worst part was already over. They'd already shared their secrets, shared a kiss. "What's up?" He checked her. "Everything ok?"

She covered her face with her hands, her shoulders lifting in a shrug. Adrien watched her, puzzled, trying to figure out what her posture meant.

"I'm just," Marinette began, taking a deep breath, "I'm still trying to catch up. I can't believe you're him. This whole time. The things I said to you." He felt laughter swell out his chest but didn't dare give in to it, at least not yet. He'd had more time to process her dual identity, and more privacy while he did it. She was still going through it in her head, trying to bring to light any memory of a chance she could have figured it out. He went to her, resting a hand on her shoulder but lifting it almost immediately when she flinched.

"Sorry," he said reflexively, not sure what he should be sorry for. He'd put his hand on her shoulder so many times; now it was going to be weird? She shook her head.

"No, it's not you," she explained. "I guess I'm . . . this is so lame . . .but it's still easier for me to talk to Chat."

"I can take out the claws again if it'll make you feel better?" Adrien offered, not in the least bit upset about being Chat Noir, especially if talking to Chat made her more comfortable. It was Chat she had missed, after all. Though he had thought that they had made good progress in their civilian life, exchanging whole sentences, talking to each other on the phone. Still, if she preferred Chat to Adrien right now, he was all too happy to comply.

"Really?" Interjected a sarcastic voice from Adrien's pocket. Adrien could almost hear Plagg rolling his eyes at the teenaged exchange going on in front of him. While Adrien didn't mind transforming, Plagg might have a stronger preference not to.

"This is my kwami," Adrien half explained, half introduced, pulling open his jacket to invite Plagg to join them as an actual participant in the conversation. "May I present Plagg," he gestured to the spirit of destruction who now hovered between them. Marinette's eyes brightened as she lowered her hands from her face.

"I sort of met him before," she said. "When I brought Master Fu to heal him, but Valerie was holding him and he was covered in a little blanket so I couldn't really see . . . Oh, you're so cute!" She gushed, almost like she couldn't help it. Adrien couldn't blame her. It seemed an instinctual response to look at these miniature gods and not see anything but cute and cuddly. "And so inconspicuous! You could just be a normal kitten!"

"Kwami of destruction," Plagg reminded her, but not harshly. "Nice to see you again, Ladybug. Adrien has gone on and on and –"

"Plagg," Adrien warned, feeling a blush creep into his cheeks. Though his embarrassment seemed to be helping ease Marinette. She smiled at him warmly.

"And ON about you," Plagg finished anyway, and Adrien found himself secretly grateful for his interruption, however selfish his motivation may have been. It was sweet to see Marinette blushing too.

"Really?" She asked Adrien, looking up at him from under her eyelashes, reminding Adrien that he'd really like to kiss her again. Soon.

"Yeah," Adrien confessed as they shared smiles, his answer pleasing her. "Well, about Ladybug. I didn't know you very well without your spots. That was my mistake for not noticing." Her blush deepened enough that he thought he'd better change the subject. "So where's . . your kwami?" Adrien asked, looking around for any sign of one. Now that Plagg was out, he wouldn't mind meeting the spirit responsible for Ladybug's power.

"Being a good little secret," Plagg answered for them both. "Hiding under a pillow, I imagine."

" _Plagg!_ " Came an indignant screech from up in the bed loft. Marinette looked slightly worried while Adrien hid a smile behind his hand. So much for being secret.

"He found out on his own, Tikki," Marinette spoke to the ceiling. "I promise I didn't tell him anything!"

"It's _forbidden,_ " Tikki's disembodied voice sounded again, high-pitched but somehow rounded around the vowels, as if French were not a language Tikki had been speaking long. Adrien exchanged a look with Plagg, who had a rather different accent, and wondered momentarily what language had been their first. How old they really could be.

"It's forbidden for them to reveal their identities to outsiders," Plagg clarified. "To reveal their identities to each other isn't banned. . . just discouraged. Come out, Tikki; there's no sense hiding now. I mean, _we_ _can hear you._ "

"Discouraged?" Marinette repeated, her head tilting curiously, this information as new to her as it was to Adrien. "Why?" Plagg looked again to Adrien, his expression closing with hidden information. Something he didn't want Adrien to know.

"Because of what happened with the Chosen of the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous," Tikki said, at last floating reluctantly down from the bed loft to join them. Adrien fought against his own instinctual urge to coo at her. Spotted, red, and sweet just as he'd expected her to be. As soon as she caught sight of Plagg, she seemed to lose her sense of place, lose her train of thought. Adrien closed his mouth around the question he'd meant to ask as he watched them look at each other. Tikki's eyes misted over, obviously unprepared for what she would feel to reunite with another kwami. Or maybe just this particular kwami.

"If you really have to," Plagg answered something she hadn't asked in words, but Adrien could detect a slight pleasure in his tone. Whatever he'd just agreed to didn't truly bother him as much as his statement might imply. Tikki flew at him, looking more like a kitten than Plagg did as she pounced, grabbing him so hard that they did a couple somersaults in the air. Adrien stepped out of their way so he could touch Marinette again, slipping his arm around her shoulders and squeezing a little. She leaned into him this time, and he guided her backward to the pink futon, sitting down with her there as they watched the kwamis for another minute.

"Tikki," Marinette called gently just as they looked as though they were going to begin a game of tag or something. The spotted spirit paused, turning to her Chosen as if she'd forgotten she was there, forgotten that she was upset at being found out. "Sorry," Marinette apologized, "but could you maybe explain about the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous and why that would mean Adrien and I had to keep our secret from each other?" When she said his name, he felt a little current of something warm beat out hard from his heart, distracting him from Marinette's rather serious question. She didn't say it often, his name, especially like that. He couldn't wait for her to do it again.

"Well, I don't know everything," Tikki prefaced, slowly leaving the air to come sit on the futon with them. Plagg settled on Adrien's shoulder, also warm and sort of tingling with energy, listening. "But from what I understand, the whole reason there was a Chosen for the Peacock Miraculous was because Valerie's secret was discovered and she begged for it to be so. But it ended very badly with the kwamis and the Chosen disappearing. Until recently that is, but even though now we know where Valerie and Nooroo are, the other Chosen and the Peacock Miraculous are still missing. It all could have been prevented if the secret had been kept."

"You're talking about my mother," Adrien offered, accepting surprised looks from almost everyone. He couldn't see Plagg but he guessed his face was pretty stoic. He already knew this part of the story. "She had the Peacock Miraculous. She and Valerie were best friends . . . are best friends."

"Your mom!" Marinette exclaimed. "For real?"

"It's true," Adrien said. "But I don't agree that what happened had anything to do with them knowing about each other. Everything that we do, we need to trust each other completely. How are we supposed to do that and keep secrets? And for us, I mean Marinette and me, it's not the same. Neither one of us asked for the other to be a Chosen, that happened without our opinion. I think it can only strengthen us now that we know." He looked at Marinette. "We could train together – like you wanted with Valerie, so we could make an even better team."

Tikki considered him very carefully, the huge eyes in her tiny face kind but concerned. "How did you find out?" She asked him, which caused Marinette to nod, amazingly keeping eye contact with him, intent on this answer.

"That's right," Marinette chimed in. "How'd you figure it out? And how'd you know about the prism yesterday? And what about Hawkmoth? You couldn't have known about that. And I still don't understand about Christmas Eve – I only found where you were because of the cataclysm. But I don't understand what made you –"

Adrien put two fingers against her lips, surprising himself that he would ever do anything to stop her from talking to him. But there were too many questions, all out of order. Plus he had some he wanted to ask her. They probably should think about taking turns.

"Maybe we should start at Christmas Eve," he said, taking both her hands in his. They sat on the futon, turned towards each other, foreheads touching, faces down, looking at their interlocked fingers. Plagg stayed on his shoulder. Tikki sat at attention on Marinette's crossed leg. And Adrien began telling her his side of what happened.

It was so difficult to start, confessing how he'd transformed against Plagg's wishes, how he'd meant to burn down the Christmas tree in the courtyard. How he'd felt so abandoned, sick, and lonely. Marinette shifted one hand to curl it around his neck, her fingers gently stroking.

"I hope you are never in that place again," she said, soberly, and Adrien could hear the promise in it. She would never abandon him. She would always be there so he wouldn't feel lonely. If she had known before, if he had thought to reach out to her, it wouldn't have happened.

"But Valerie's right," Adrien amended, brightening his tone. "Sometimes horrible things lead to somewhere amazing."

"Valerie told you that?" Marinette asked, a hardness to her words, and Adrien felt Plagg flinch a little. He didn't like it when people talked about Valerie that way, and neither did Adrien. They didn't have the whole picture. They just didn't understand. So he explained about Valerie – about her history with his parents, the rainbow, the storm, about her scars, about why she'd made the choices that led her to misuse his Miraculous. About why his father had misused hers. How it was all behind them now, everything restored to its proper place. Almost.

"How can you just . . . why are you ok with this?" Marinette questioned him, withdrawing just a little. "After what they did to us . . to you. They almost killed you. You're ok with just letting all that go?" Adrien had to think a little about what she was asking since it hadn't occurred to him before. It seemed weird to him to stay angry with his dad . . . it had never entered his mind to be mad at Valerie. They both made him more sorry and sad than anything. And he knew they would have a hard enough time forgiving themselves. They didn't need him holding a grudge.

"I really am," he answered. "I know my dad's not perfect. He's made a lot of mistakes, but he can't hurt anyone as Hawkmoth anymore, and it wasn't his intention to hurt anyone in the first place. Valerie either. But giving them forgiveness is more for me because I don't want to live in that world anymore, and I don't have to. I like this new place better – with a father who shows up at dinner and doesn't sneak off to send out akumas. I like Nathalie sitting at breakfast with me and talking. I like knowing about Valerie and having her back in our lives. And I absolutely love that I can be here with you, my lady, without our masks and with all the time in the world to talk about anything we want. So yes, I am ok with letting it all go. I want my heart open to what's coming. What about you?"

"You're right," Marinette agreed after a moment of silence, and Adrien could actually hear the weight of her anger dropping from her. "And if you're ok, then I am too."

"Good," Adrien replied, content.

"And you are ok, right?" Marinette asked, suddenly concerned. "I know you're still recovering, and after yesterday– "

"That's another fantastic thing," Adrien inserted, excited to give her this good news. "Marinette, you have no idea, do you? It's the best part!" He squeezed her hand. "Yesterday – your Miraculous Charm. You healed us, Marinette – Valerie and me. Completely."

"What . . does that mean?" Marinette asked, confused.

"Valerie's scars are gone. She has her eye and her fingers back; she doesn't need the cane anymore. You made her new again. You're amazing!"

"And you?" She checked, still worried, the memory of seeing him on the floor yesterday shining in her eyes.

"Better than new," he gushed. "Everything that happened to me yesterday and all the rest of it too."

"The rest of it, but . . . how does that work? I used the Miraculous Charm on you before when you were turned into a cat and it didn't heal you," Marinette mused, and Adrien couldn't think of an answer for that.

"The charm isn't for healing," Tikki cut in. "It's for restoring damage done by battle – in this case, the akumas. I'm the kwami of creation, not healing. The first time, the charm just undid the transformation caused by the akuma. There was no physical damage done, so it left you the way you were. The second time," she paused a second, obviously not wanting Marinette to remember how bad it had been. "The second time, the akuma caused wounds, so when the charm started, it restored your body back to perfect. Created it new again. For Valerie too."

"So that means . . . you're really ok now?" Marinette asked hopefully. "No more panic attacks?"

"No," Adrien said, relieved. "It's all over. I'm fine."

"I'm so glad," Marinette said, sounding close to tears. "It was so hard watching you sometimes when I could tell you were seeing things. Harder when you couldn't breathe. I didn't know what to do to help you. And the way you would look at me . . . like you didn't know me."

"But you did help me," Adrien protested. "Not just with your charm, but every time I needed you since I came back to school. It wasn't easy. It was scary and painful, but I wouldn't change it. If it hadn't happened, I don't know how long it would have taken me to realize how wonderful you are, Marinette. You know, I'd see Ladybug when I looked at you – almost every single time. Her mask on your face. And then when Ladybug visited me in my room, her eyes were yours. That's how I figured out who you were. Your eyes stay the same. But I wasn't absolutely sure until after the cat akuma attack. When I hugged you, I could smell my shampoo in your hair."

"That's how you knew?!" Marinette squeaked. "Shampoo?"

"Well, not just any shampoo," Adrien teased, hearing Chat in his tone. "It's super fancy, Swiss-imported shampoo that my dad gets from a private distributor. For models only."

Marinette and Tikki exchanged a guilty look. If Adrien weren't holding her hands, he imagined she might smack her forehead for not thinking of that. She did groan, bowing her head low, making him laugh. He cupped her chin to bring her face up to his, kissing her lips quick and light.

"I'm so happy it was you," he told her.

"Me too," she said. "That you're Chat I mean."

They spoke more about it, all the times they had narrowly missed exposing their superhero side to each other by accident, the ridiculous lies they'd told each other to hide what they were actually doing, until they were laughing so hard they almost fell off the futon. They talked about their classmates, how Alya hadn't figured out yet who Marinette was, how Nino was too pure to even speculate, and –

"Oh, and Chloe!" Adrien almost shouted as he suddenly realized.

"Ugh," Marinette responded, rolling her eyes a little. "Yeah, and Chloe."

"She's completely in love with you! You are an _angel_ for not taking advantage of that."

"Glad someone finally noticed the effort," Marinette replied, the way Ladybug would if she were speaking to Chat. "But I do sometimes use Ladybug to persuade her to behave."

"I do that sometimes too. Maybe between the two of us, we can make a kind thoughtful member of society out of her."

"If we could do that, there would be nothing that could ever stop us!"

They talked as the snow fell outside, as the sun started its early descent. At some point, Marinette's mom brought up a tea tray with hot chocolate and croissants on it, drawn by their laughter. Later, her dad came to ask if Adrien would like to stay for dinner.

"No, sir, I can't," Adrien declined politely. "I've already confirmed dinner plans with my father."

"Well, you're always welcome," Tom Dupain extended the invitation, watching his daughter, reading her happiness in her posture before disappearing again through the trapdoor.

"Your parents are sweet," Adrien told her, watching him go. "By the way, my dad did say you could come have dinner with us if you wanted. I think Valerie might be there too."

Marinette sobered, her eyes startled and wide at the idea. "Um," she began, and Adrien knew she wasn't going to say yes. "I'm not sure if dinner with Hawkmoth and Zephyr is a good idea for me," she excused herself. Adrien almost told her again that his dad wasn't Hawkmoth anymore, but he understood what she meant.

"I understand," he told her, not offended. "Maybe some other time."

She nodded, her face twisting as she thought of another question. "Does he know? About you?"

"No," Adrien answered quickly. "I don't see any need to tell him either. Valerie knows, though."

"About me too?" Marinette checked, slightly worried now.

"She knows your first name," Adrien confessed. "But she doesn't know who you are."

"What do you think will happen?" Marinette asked. "With Valerie and Nooroo? Tikki and Plagg? You and me?"

"I don't have those answers, but Valerie did say that Master Fu intends for her to keep Nooroo, and that he wants us to keep our kwamis too. I think she spent the day talking with my dad about finding Mom. I'm pretty sure now that she's healed and has Nooroo back that she's going to start looking for her. At least, I hope she will. I'd go with her if she asked me."

"You . . . you would?" Marinette said, the effort of keeping her voice neutral about it resonating around the question.

"As for you and me," Adrien went on, changing the subject without answering. He didn't want to speculate too much on going off with Valerie on a quest to find his mom. That was too slippery of a plan to think about long. He had no idea where to start. He'd have to get his father's permission, which was a long shot from the start. He couldn't abandon Gabriel. He couldn't leave Marinette. While his heart was willing, he knew his responsibilities in Paris would keep him from chasing after Valerie. He'd just have to trust in her. Unless she did indeed ask him to go. "For you and me," he repeated, struggling to catch his train of thought again. "I'm going to go have dinner with my father, but then I'd like to come pick you up for the stadium singing if you wanted to go with me."

"I'd love to," Marinette said, her face open and honest, like this might actually be a dream come true for her.

"Who should come get you? Me or Chat Noir?" He asked her, giving her the option of how they wanted to be seen tonight.

"Adrien," she answered without hesitation. "Please."

"Of course, my lady." He kissed her again, gathering his backpack and coat. He poked Plagg gently from where he sat close with Tikki on the futon, almost asleep. "Come on, Plagg," he said. "We need to get going." As his kwami settled inside his pocket, he lost himself in Marinette's eyes one more time. "I'll see you soon," he promised. She nodded, smiling.

It was harder than he thought leaving her bedroom. Partly because he wasn't ready to leave her yet, but mostly because her parents were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs with full hands and grateful expressions. Tom handed him a small box of assorted macarons. Sabine took his shoulders like she was only barely keeping herself from hugging him.

"We heard her laughing," she said. "Thank you for visiting and cheering her up." They repeated that several times before allowing him out the door where his driver was waiting for him. He settled into the back seat, content, clutching the bakery bag, staring out the window to the lights he knew were Marinette's lights, already wanting to be back upstairs with her.

The peace of his afternoon followed him home; his heart so full of happiness that he practically pounced on Nathalie first thing when he stepped through the front door.

"Adrien, what?" She startled, clumsily returning his embrace for a second before pulling him back to study him at arms' length.

"Just a really good day, Nathalie," he told her, then took a turn being surprised when she smiled and bent down to hug him unexpectedly. "And it's not even over yet."

"Good," she whispered. "God knows you deserve one." She smiled at him fondly as she let him go, reaching for his coat so she could hang it up. He handed it to her along with the box of macarons Marinette's dad had given him.

"Is Valerie still here?" Adrien asked her before she turned to go.

"No," Nathalie answered, which made Adrien follow her instead of going to the dining room. "She left over an hour ago."

"Oh," Adrien said, slightly disappointed. "Did she say anything? Is she coming back? What did they talk about? They didn't fight or anything, right?"

"Sorry, Adrien, those are all questions for your father," Nathalie told him. "Though they seemed perfectly polite when he walked her to the door." Of course they seemed polite. They always seemed polite, it was the bite behind the smile that Adrien was looking for. "He's waiting for you in the dining room," she informed him, pointing with her chin as she closed the closet, indicating that he should go ahead of her. He nodded, understanding, and headed that direction.

"Welcome home, Adrien," Gabriel greeted from the head of the table where he sat with his elbows just lightly resting on the arms of his chair, his fingers steepled against his lips. When Adrien stepped through the doorway, Gabriel stood, waiting for Adrien to come to the table so they could sit down at the same time. He saw that there were two empty places beside them.

"I take it your friend isn't coming after all?" Gabriel asked him. He shook his head, looking at the elaborately folded napkins decorating the plates.

"And Valerie left too?" Adrien said, suddenly seeing exhaustion in his dad's face.

"I did invite her to stay," Gabriel replied, gesturing rather defensively at the table settings, as if he wanted to make it clear that he was minding his manners where Valerie was concerned. "She said she had something else to take care of, but no," he answered before Adrien could ask. "She didn't tell me what it was."

"Are you all right, Father?" Adrien asked instead.

"Yes, of course. Though talking with Valerie can be mentally draining." Adrien kept his smile to himself at that statement. He wondered how much Valerie had done on purpose and how much was just due to their natural personalities clashing with each other.

"What did you talk about?"

The cold blue of his father's eyes stared hard into Adrien as they sat still together at the table, their food still untouched in front of them. Adrien rather wished he had some excuse to go to his father, put his head on his knee, but now that there was nothing physically wrong with him, he felt that he really shouldn't expect to be so affectionate with Gabriel anymore.

"We talked about your mother," Gabriel finally offered, making an effort to unfold his napkin, covering his lap with it. Adrien copied him, willing him to say more without his having to ask him pointed questions. "Where she might be now."

"Does she have an idea?" Adrien asked, his voice brimming with hope.

"I'd rather not go into that now," Gabriel said. "It's too soon to speculate."

Adrien looked at his plate, not sure how to proceed now that he knew his father didn't want to talk about anything he'd discussed with Valerie. So they ate, quietly, slowly, Adrien glancing up from time to time to look at Gabriel, wondering what he was thinking. At the end of the meal, Nathalie appeared with the box of macarons, setting them down gently on the table between them without a word. Adrien smiled in spite of himself when he saw them, remembering that he would be going back to the bakery soon to pick up Marinette.

"You're going back out?" Gabriel asked, monitoring Adrien's reaction to the cookies.

"Yes," Adrien answered, taking one of the perfectly smooth and fluffy treats from the box. "We're going to the stadium for a singing party."

"It's rather dark and cold for an outdoor event like this, isn't it?" Gabriel asked, and Adrien worried that he might be gearing up to withdraw his permission.

"It's an ongoing thing; this is just the first night. It's part of the service assignment."

"Yes, you mentioned that before, but I'm missing how this is service."

Adrien hesitated. "Well," he began gently. "It's supposed to bring people together and make them happy because . . . the whole service project is an effort to make Paris a happier, safer place. I think it's going to work amazingly well." Gabriel dropped his fork where it clattered loudly on his plate. Adrien wished he hadn't said anything. He didn't know it would cause such a strong reaction. He didn't know that Gabriel would pick up on what he hadn't said. They were trying to make Paris happier because happy people don't get akumatized.

"Adrien," Gabriel said, his eyes on the dropped fork. "I can't imagine what you must think of me."

"Don't," Adrien said rather sharply, surprising himself. But he didn't want to talk about this. He wanted the darkness of the past to stop bleeding into his future. He wanted it to stay where it belonged. "I think you're my father, sitting here eating dinner with me, and I really like that you made time to do that. I'm grateful for everything you've done for me; I know a lot of it was really hard for you. And I think that in the end, you did the right thing, and that's all I care about. Everyone makes mistakes, even Agrestes, but they only stay mistakes if you choose not to fix them."

"Perhaps," Gabriel said softly, as if he were speaking around a lump in his throat. "Perhaps Valerie's influence on you wasn't all bad." Adrien allowed himself to smile, just a little, with a touch of sass in it.

"I love you, Dad," Adrien said, amazed that they didn't ever say this in their house. He watched his father close up tightly, his inner protocol demanding that he not get overly emotional. He wondered if he would ever get to hear him say it back.

"Come with me," Gabriel said, standing up and leaving his napkin next to his plate. Adrien followed him quietly, afraid that if he said anything else it would ruin whatever was going on. He kept his eyes on his father's shoulders, straight and strong, as Gabriel led him to his bedroom, a place Adrien had not visited in a long time. Though when he entered, the arrangement of the furniture and the color of the bedspread sparked memories of sitting cross-legged in the center of the mattress in his pajamas, watching Emilie putting on makeup or perfume for an evening out. He remembered the glow of the vanity lights as she applied her eyeshadow, the scent of her pleasant in the air. Gabriel hadn't changed a single thing. Her brush still sat on the vanity. The book she'd been reading rested undisturbed on the stand beside her pillow along with a pair of earrings she'd forgotten to remove before getting under the covers. Everything ready for her to walk back into the room as if she'd never been gone.

Adrien stood transfixed just inside the door while Gabriel went to the closet. He was equal parts worried and fascinated by being invited here. Maybe now that Gabriel was no longer Hawkmoth, he didn't have any more secrets he needed to guard. Maybe his life was just going to be one constant surprise now.

"In here," Gabriel called from the closet, jolting Adrien into motion. He went inside, slightly disturbed to see his father rummaging through the contents, knocked even more off balance when he realized that this was Emilie's closet. Her gowns, suits, and blouses hanging like shadows on both sides of the wall, her bags and shoes sort of organized in random spaces. Several boxes. One sat open at Gabriel's feet, the words "for Valerie" upside down to Adrien's view. It was empty except for what looked like dry crumbled rose petals strewn around the bottom.

"There," Gabriel muttered, pulling free from a stack of sheets an old, faded, quilt. He let it fall from its folds as he tugged it from the shelf – a simple design of colored triangles fashioned into stars. "This is your mother's quilt from school," he explained when Adrien looked at it, confused. "We ate picnics on it by the river and stayed warm under it the night I asked her to marry me. She laid it out to read under trees in the summer and kept it on her bed through the winters and when you were born I brought it with us to the hospital. Take it with you tonight."

"I . . can't take this," Adrien denied even as his father handed it to him. It was surprisingly heavy and soft in the manner that only old, well-loved, oft-washed fabric can be. Soft to the point where it was almost shabby, yet too full of good memories to ever look truly old or worn out.

"Some things are meant to be used," Gabriel countered. "She would want you to take it. Keep your . . . friend warm."

"Do you want to come with us?" Adrien heard himself offer as he rolled the blanket around his arm, not really folding it but needing to bundle it somehow in order to carry it. He knew it was a ridiculous thing to say. His father had likely rescheduled several meetings already in order to talk with Valerie. Not to mention how Gabriel hardly ever left the house if he could help it. The idea of him venturing out into the snowy evening to sing with a bunch of teenagers almost made Adrien laugh. But when he looked at his father, he could tell that the invitation meant something to him, even though he was going to decline it.

"I'm afraid I can't tonight," Gabriel smoothly answered. "But you said this was ongoing, so perhaps another time."

Adrien stared at his father, shocked at the response. He almost sounded like he truly did want to go, like he might actually plan for it in the future. He felt his mouth open, but his cell phone rang, disturbing the moment. He didn't answer it, not ready to leave this place his father had finally let him in to.

"Go," Gabriel commanded, closing up again. "Your friends are waiting for you."

"Thanks, Dad," Adrien said, slowly backing out of the closet, still not sure he wanted to go yet. His text alert chimed, and he turned away from Gabriel, who was staring into the empty box on the floor.

The text had come from Nino, but Adrien didn't read it. He simply pressed the button that would dial his friend's number, reaching the landing on the stairs by the time he picked up.

"Adrien, hey," Nino answered. "You good to go tonight?" So many layers within that question. Nino was checking boundaries with those few words, the parameters of their friendship, the limits on Gabriel's permission, the status of Adrien's health. Adrien wondered if he always put such nuances in his questions or if he were just paying more attention lately.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there," he said. "I need to pick up Marinette first."

"You sure about that?" Nino asked. "I heard from Alya that she wasn't coming."

"Last I spoke to her she'd changed her mind," Adrien answered, and could almost hear Nino shrug.

"Well, if anyone could convince her, it'd be you. See you there, bud."

"Soon," Adrien said before returning the phone to his pocket. He was clumsily trying to refold the blanket when Nathalie met him in the entryway, his coat and scarf in hand again.

"Where did you get this?" She asked him as she traded the blanket for his winter clothes.

"Dad told me to take it," Adrien justified, still feeling slightly guilty about it, like he was doing something wrong by bringing it out of the house. Nathalie's expression opened as she took two corners of the blanket, shaking it into perfect folds, reminding Adrien of Valerie in the hotel basement as she also folded sheets and towels.

"That's very special," Nathalie told him, meaning both the blanket and Gabriel's offering to let Adrien use it. "He loves you very much, Adrien. I hope you know that."

"I do," Adrien replied, seriously, also hearing in Nathalie's words that in her way, she loved him too.

"Have a good time tonight," Nathalie said, handing back Emilie's quilt, now much more portable.

"Thank you, Nathalie," Adrien said, hugging the quilt to his chest and opening his door to the winter night.

BB

Marinette dug through the contents of her dresser, tugging out sleeves of sweaters and collars of shirts and not quite returning them properly as she dismissed wearing them. She heard herself making weird noises as she searched, little screeches and groans, and she wondered what on earth she was actually doing.

"Maybe you should have gone to the stadium as Ladybug," Tikki offered helpfully. "Then you wouldn't have had to choose an outfit." Marinette paused momentarily to give her kwami a playful glare.

"But then you wouldn't get to see Plagg," she teased, turning back to the drawer and shrieking with triumph as she pulled free her snuggliest pink sweater, holding it up to herself and checking its look in her mirror. Perfect. "Can you believe it, Tikki? It was Adrien this whole time!" She went on without giving her the chance to answer. "They're so different, though. Like, completely different."

"So are you," Tikki informed her. "Ladybug brings out your protectiveness and your leadership skills. It's not something that she has that you don't, but it's more obvious when you have your spots on. I think it's the same for him. Chat's just another part of his true personality."

"You're saying that you think Adrien is a pun-loving show off?"

"And you love it," Tikki laughed. "But no, that's not exactly it. I'm saying that Adrien has to be polite and keep his reputation up all the time, but when he's Chat he gets to be less formal and play a little. There is a freedom to that life that he doesn't have in his other."

"That makes sense," Marinette agreed as she finished getting dressed. "There, what do you think?"

"Marinette!" Sabine's voice came through the floor. "Adrien is here."

"I think you look great, Marinette," Tikki complimented. "Now let's go meet Adrien."

She did her best to control her excitement and not race down the stairs to the front door, and she sort of managed it, though she missed the next to last step and had to clutch to the railing to avoid falling in a heap. Her stumble made both her mother and Adrien gasp and reach out to her, though they were too far away to actually help. She felt her cheeks go red and hot, but reminded herself that she'd done far more embarrassing things in front of Adrien. And he was still looking at her like she was made of light. The way Chat looked at Ladybug. For him, it seemed there was no difference. It made it rather difficult to maintain eye contact with him.

"You look wonderful," Adrien told her, smiling, looking like the perfect gentleman as he stood near the door, the scarf she'd knit him knotted around his neck and a faded quilt tucked over his arm, held tight against his body.

"Thanks," she said, trying hard not to stutter as her father came up behind her from the kitchen with a small basket.

"Here you go, sweetheart," he offered it to her. "Hot cider, cups, and I baked some sweet potatoes and wrapped them for you to put in your pockets to keep your hands warm. You can eat them later on when they cool a bit."

"You're the best, Dad," Marinette told him, standing on tiptoe to give him a kiss on the cheek as she took the basket from his hands.

"Have a good time, dears," Sabine instructed, shifting to stand by her husband to allow Marinette to go to Adrien's side.

"I'll bring her home around ten," Adrien promised Marinette's parents, reaching for her. She shifted the basket to free her hand, and allowed Adrien to lead her out her door, down her stairs, and onto the sidewalk outside. They paused here for a few moments for several important things. The first was for Adrien to kiss her, swiftly and affectionately and out of sight of her parents. The next was to allow the kwamis to snuggle together in the warmth of the basket, making room for them by pulling out a few foil-wrapped sweet potato pieces to tuck into their coat pockets. Then they were on their way again, walking to the stadium, Adrien holding out his arm for her to hold on to in case she hit a slippery spot in the sidewalk.

"So," Marinette began as they made their way. "What are we going to tell everyone?" She watched Adrien from the corner of her vision, not turning her head to look at him directly. He had his head bowed against the wind, a soft smile just lifting his lips. He looked extremely at ease. Seeing him that way made her own nerves less jittery. She gave his arm a little hug.

"We don't have to tell them anything," Adrien answered, and now that Marinette was listening close for it, she could hear the slight undertone of Chat Noir's defiance in what he said. "But if it's ok with you, I'm rather looking forward to introducing my girlfriend to everyone."

Marinette felt her body shut off and had to force herself to keep walking. He said it! Actually said it. Her spirit was shivering; it felt weird and wonderful.

"We . . . we could say that," she heard herself agree, sort of breathlessly. "But what about Chloe?" she amended in disgust, knowing that this would be a particularly hard obstacle. This time she really did pause, wondering what would happen when Chloe saw her with Adrien. What she might do or say. What Marinette might say back that she could regret later.

"Don't worry about Chloe," Adrien said, rather firmly, stopping with her on the sidewalk, the stadium entrance very close. There were people walking past them on either side as they stood there, headed in, almost time to start. "I'll talk to her if I need to. Ok?"

"Ok," Marinette murmured, feeling protected, but in a tender, non-smothering sort of way.

"Hey, Adrien! There you are," Nino called as he joined them, one arm raised in greeting and the other holding tight to Alya's mittened hand. Marinette looked at her friend, turning a little shy when Alya grinned like a fox when she saw her.

"Here you are, indeed," Alya practically purred. "Glad to see you changed your mind, Marinette."

"Well, sure," Marinette sputtered. "Rose and Juleka worked hard putting this together, right?"

"Come on," Alya took charge, looping arms with Marinette so she could keep hold of Adrien and her basket. "Let's go in and find a spot before it starts. Looks like there's going to be a larger crowd than expected." Walking four abreast, completely happy, carefree teenagers, they entered the stadium.

Marinette had expected most of her classmates to show up. The usual bunch. She was unprepared for a turn out like this. Juleka had set up an actual stage on one side of the field. They had a few lights on, but not many, giving the set up an otherworldly glow with the snow still falling a little around them, giving movement to the spotlights. Their classmates were there, but so were many of their parents, teachers, and random members of the community. A couple hundred people all together. Juleka stood in shock looking out at so many faces below her, but Rose seemed nonplussed as she picked up the microphone to get things started.

Standing close to Adrien, Marinette tried to take it all in as she listened to Rose's sweet voice explaining what they were doing and why. She looked at all the people who had come out in the snowstorm to sing together, to be united against the threat of akumas. She wasn't the only one who had thought to bring a flask of hot chocolate or mulled wine. There was a man with a cart of baked apples, handing them out, someone else with bags of popcorn. There were so many different colored hats and scarves. Dozens of blankets were being shaken open to drape around couples. As she stared, Adrien curled his arms over her, cuddling them both under his quilt, looking as though he'd just gotten everything he'd ever wanted. She curled her shoulder blades against his chest, leaning back into him slightly, savoring the familiar strength of Chat Noir behind her. He bent forward to kiss her cheek.

And even though they made no effort to keep anything secret, even though they were standing there so obvious to the world, no one seemed at all surprised. No one asked them to explain anything. "Wondered how long it would take you," Kim called as he walked past them to get closer to the stage. There were others; voices that Marinette couldn't identify in the shadowed crowd gathering all around them, passing them, shifting in ebbs and flows. "About time." "You guys are too adorable!" "Finally."

"Oh really," Alya pretended to groan as Marinette looked over to her questioningly. "You guys are made for each other. Everyone could see it but you. The only couple I've ever seen that was as clueless as you two is Ladybug and Chat Noir!"

Adrien began to laugh, the rumble of it comfortable against Marinette's back. Alya smiled at them as if she were personally responsible for getting them together. "I'm happy for you," she said to Marinette just before the music started.

The first stadium singing event kicked off to great success. They did songs from Clara Nightingale, Jagged Stone, and somehow they all plummeted into the rabbit hole of a Disney sing-along. The blankets quickly became unnecessary as the field turned into a dance floor – no one able to keep still as the beat of the music compelled them, heating the entire arena. Adrien carefully folded his quilt, zipped it into his coat before leaving both next to Marinette's basket, Nino on guard, and then practically carried Marinette around the field in a fast-paced made-up foxtrot to Toy Story's You've Got a Friend in Me, receiving several rounds of applause for their performance.

They laughed. They ate the sweet potatoes and drank the cider. They shouted to each other above the songs that they didn't know. The cuddled together for the songs they did. Somehow Alya and Marinette ended up with their arms around each other's waists belting out How Far I'll Go at the top of their voices, and Marinette was certain that there had never been a better evening in her entire life.

Until it ended.

"Adrien? Dude, take it easy." She didn't know how she heard Nino over the song, but somehow his voice pierced through and she suddenly felt the cold again. She pulled from Alya, turning to look behind her to find Adrien on one knee, his hands pressed against his chest. All of her internal mechanism seized up, reversing, her mind clouding with questions. He'd said he was healed. Surely he hadn't lied to her? But then why was he on the ground?

"Marinette!" Nino called to her, but she was already coming, Alya right behind her. She went to her knees in front of Adrien, taking his shoulders in her hands as Nino covered him with his blanket again.

"What happened?" Marinette asked them both, frightened.

"He just went down," Nino answered. "Really sudden."

"You're going to be ok," Marinette assured him.

"I think it's the crowd," Nino speculated as he leaned over them. "It was too much for him; he overdid it."

"Adrien? Can you breathe?" Marinette asked him gently. He looked at her, hard, an interesting edge to the expression. Not like before. This was a new look. He was trying to get her to understand something urgent. "Can you stand up?"

He let her pull him upright, hands still at his chest. "Marinette," he said through his teeth, still staring at her, his message not coming through to her.

"Should we leave?" She asked him, and he nodded. Nino held onto Adrien protectively while Marinette bent to retrieve her basket.

"Girl, I got that," Alya told her, picking it up before she could. "You go ahead."

"Thanks, Alya," Marinette said. "Just let me grab my phone." She ducked her hand into the basket, feeling two kwamis wriggle up her coat sleeve as she pretended to look for the phone she knew was already in her pocket.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Nino asked, his face worried, trying to be polite in not directly stating that there would be no way Marinette could prevent Adrien from falling and hurting himself if his knees were to give out on him as they walked away.

"That's ok," Adrien declined, looking at the ground.

"You guys stay," Marinette added. "I'll call you if something happens. We'll be fine."

Nino leaned in close to murmur something encouraging into Adrien's ear while Alya gave Marinette a proud nod. Then she slipped her arm around Adrien's waist as he leaned in to her slightly and led him out of the noise and movement of the stadium, out onto the dark snowy sidewalk where the sound was muffled by snowflakes.

The second they were alone, Plagg shot out from her sleeve and cannoned over to Adrien. "What happened?" He asked, almost frantic. "What's wrong? Adrien?" Marinette was surprised to see that the kwami might be even more concerned than she was.

"I'm so sorry, Plagg," Adrien apologized. "Marinette, stop. It's ok."

"What?" Marinette asked, pulling away so she could study him. It was hard to hear over Plagg's shrill squeaks.

"You said you were _fine!_ " The spirit was almost shrieking. "I should have _never agreed_ –"

"Plagg, calm down," Adrien pleaded. "I am fine. Look." He opened his hands and a white butterfly fluttered up from them. Marinette took a deep breath, realizing what had happened.

"So you're ok?" She checked, just to be absolutely certain. "That whole thing was just . . . "

"An excuse to leave with you," Adrien confirmed, looking guilty. "Something I won't be doing again, but I didn't want anyone to see the butterfly and that was the only thing I could think of. I didn't mean to make you worry. Plagg?" The kwami hovered, shocked, glaring, and speechless. "Plagg, I'm sorry."

"Don't you _ever_ do that again," he sulked, turning his face away. Marinette decided, looking at them both, that she wasn't going to add any lecture to the situation. Watching Plagg get so worked up over it was actually helping her keep calm.

"I'm glad you're ok," she said, feeling rather tired. "What does it mean?" She went on to ask, looking at the butterfly, which was also hovering, higher than Plagg, waiting as if it wanted them to follow it.

"It's from Valerie," Adrien said, as if that would be obvious. "I think she wants us to go to her. Something's going on." Marinette wasn't sure about doing that. She was feeling rather annoyed about the disturbance to her date, about being yanked from complete bliss to total fear and now this weird place where she had no idea what was going on. But Adrien watched the butterfly so intently that she was sure this was important to him.

"All right," Marinette agreed. Adrien pulled her into the shadows, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Plagg," he said. "Can we transform?"

Marinette watched them, completely confused, wondering if she were doing something wrong by never asking Tikki's permission before starting her own transformation. The kwami of creation was out of hiding now too, also watching. But she did exchange a wondering glance with Marinette, showing her that this was not actually a normal situation, this was something special for Adrien and Plagg.

"What are you asking me for?" Plagg replied tensely.

"Tikki," Marinette said quietly. "Spots on." For a few seconds, Plagg and Adrien's attention was drawn to her. Plagg looked rather mournful, while Adrien watched completely fascinated as she transformed into Ladybug right in front of him. Even though the sequence was meant to cover her identity, somehow, having him watch her felt rather intimate. "I'm ready," she told them, hoping that might somehow help them get to a point where they could agree.

"Plagg," Adrien asked again.

"You don't need my permission," Plagg replied.

"Yes, I do," Adrien said, uncompromising.

Ladybug tried not to fidget as she watched them staring at each other, though it was an uncomfortable standoff. She could see wishes and pain, so much regret, and she feared that what was evident to an outsider like her was only the suggestion of how deep their feelings went, what their separation and Adrien's illness had done to them. She realized how special a thing it had been for Chat Noir to meet her earlier that day if this is where they were, if transformations had become so difficult for them. Her hand lifted to break into their wordless conversation, to offer to carry Adrien so he wouldn't have to transform.

"All right," Plagg relented, both of their shoulders suddenly falling as though they had dropped the rope in a mental tug-of-war. "If you're sure, then I trust you, Adrien."

"Thank you," Adrien said, all of his genuine purity laid out in the words along with the promise that he would never give Plagg reason not to. "Claws out."

Ladybug felt relieved and wonderous as she watched the kwami's power cover Adrien in shadows. Even though he'd told her who he was, even though she'd just watched him interact with his kwami, there was something magical in seeing the boy she loved become her other beloved. Chat Noir looked at his hands before lifting his head to look at her, his open-mouthed gratitude shifting to a grin. Her Cheshire Chat.

"I really missed you," Ladybug said, again, reaching over and flicking the bell at his throat.

"I wasn't actually gone," Chat reminded her, but she shook her head. That may be technically true, and there may be no way she would ever get him to understand exactly how much she needed him in both his identities, but in her soul there would always be a difference. "After you, my lady?" He offered, gesturing to where the butterfly waited for them, another snowflake in the night.

They set off, keeping pace with each other, keeping the butterfly ahead of them. It seemed to be leading them to Le Grand Paris hotel, but when they dropped to the courtyard, it skimmed to the side, off to a ground level apartment.

"Back where I started," Chat said softly as they stood together watching it go. Ladybug took his hand.

"But not alone," she told him, which made him rest his forehead against her shoulder for a second, the way he had when she walked him home as Adrien yesterday morning. When she didn't know who he was, when she didn't know that the reason he held his hand clenched so tightly was because he was carrying his newly retrieved Miraculous. She kissed the top of his head right before he straightened.

He led her by the hand to the apartment door, hesitating just slightly before knocking. Ladybug sort of remembered this place. She remembered the broken kiosk outside that had drawn her attention from the air, remembered Valerie shaking her cane so she would come down and talk to her. Remembered standing here at the door as Valerie told her that she would need to close her eyes before going in.

The door now opened wide, light and Valerie's shadow pouring out onto them. "Oh good," she said, standing out of the way so they could come in. "I'm glad you made it in time."

"In time?" Chat Noir repeated, moving easily inside. Ladybug followed him, releasing his hand so he could take Valerie into his arms, hugging her as tightly as he would his own mother. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, not jealous, just uneasy. She folded her arms as she surveyed her surroundings, amazed at how different it felt here even though nothing had changed.

The last time she'd been here, there had been a fire going. The room had smelled of spice and care and coziness. All of that was gone now. There was no fire. It felt smaller now, empty, like the soul of the place had left it. There was a book of poetry on the table, sitting on top of a hastily folded blouse. Next to that small pile was a picture of two young women with their arms around each other. The way Valerie and Emilie had looked once a long time ago.

Ladybug shifted her attention back to Valerie and Chat Noir, noticing for the first time that Nooroo was also there, floating alongside her Chosen. Valerie looked dressed for travel, her dark hair pulled back into a braid. Ladybug could see her restored face, see how she was still very like the girl in the picture, and yet there was a hardness to her now, the determined look of a warrior. Chat Noveau was quite evident in her movements and there were elements of Zephyr in the way she gestured as she spoke. Ladybug reminded herself, firmly, that Adrien had forgiven this woman, that he somehow still respected and loved her. That she had saved his life.

"We're leaving," Valerie was explaining. "As soon as possible."

"Leaving?" Chat asked. "Now? But where?"

"I'd rather not tell you," Valerie said, shaking her head. "Not yet. And yes, now. I've wasted enough time here in the shadows. I don't want to wait even a day longer." She put a tender hand on Chat's shoulder. "I need to know what happened." Ladybug looked at the photo on the table again, realizing that she meant Adrien's mother – her old partner.

"Ladybug," Valerie greeted, turning toward her and bowing. "I owe you everything – all of my sorrow, all of my joy. I apologize for what I said to you. You are a true superhero, resilient and strong. Thank you for your bravery, for using your power to save me. You've given me the most wonderful gift. A second chance. I can't thank you enough."

Her soul suddenly full, Ladybug looked at Valerie's face again, seeing her this time for what she was – a Chosen, a heroine whose quest was not finished. She saw in her the pain of missing her partner, of not knowing what had happened to her, of needing desperately to go and find out. Instead of answering, she took a step forward, walking into Valerie's arms and clinging to her, feeling their hearts beat together, realizing they were very much alike. She smelled like clean sheets and the winter wind, the fresh scent of a coming storm, and whatever Ladybug had thought of her before this moment melted as they held each other for the first and possibly last time. They stepped backward as new friends.

"Couldn't we come with you?" Chat Noir offered, his expression slightly desperate, not wanting to lose someone important to him again.

"No, Sunbeam," Valerie answered quickly. "There is still too much here that needs you."

Another knock at the door. This time Master Fu and Wayzz joined them. He carried a suitcase, making Ladybug suddenly fearful. He didn't mean to go too? What would she do without him here to guide her?

"Ah, hello Ladybug and Chat Noir," Master Fu greeted, setting down the case near the front door. "I'm glad made it. As Valerie has probably already mentioned, she and I will be leaving tonight. I'm unsure how long we will be gone. Ladybug, I name you Guardian in my place."

"Master, no!" Ladybug protested, holding out her hands as if she could physically prevent the passing of this responsibility. "I can't do that!"

"You have seen my secrets," Master Fu went on as if she had agreed. "And I have no doubt that you will keep them safe. You will have Chat Noir here to help you. I sense that you two are closer than you have been before, now that you have defeated Hawkmoth and found each other again." Ladybug felt Chat's hand on her shoulder, though she hadn't realized when he moved behind her, and reached up to lace their fingers together. Everything felt like it was racing away from her, too fast.

"I'll do my best," she said, trying to sound steady. Master Fu nodded and handed her a key. One she knew would open the door to his home, to where the other kwamis and Miraculous were hidden. The shrine she would now have to protect. It was surprisingly heavy for such a small thing.

"I know you will. Valerie? Nooroo? Are you ready?"

"Almost," Valerie answered for them both. "Take care of your father," she said to Chat, smirking a little. "He's an annoying, prideful stick in the mud, but someone should look after him. He needs you." Chat Noir nodded solemnly as she picked up the book from the table, tucking the picture inside and handing it to him. "Keep this," she instructed, both of them holding on to it. "Remember us how we were, ok?"

"That's not what someone says when they're planning to come back," Chat challenged her, his voice tight.

"I _am_ coming back," Valerie assured.

"Do you promise?" Chat asked, holding the book and photograph between them as if it were something sacred, a symbol of the pact they were about to make. Valerie's eyes widened for a moment before she closed them completely, lowering her head.

"Sunbeam . . . you know that I –"

"Promise me, Valerie."

She looked at him, the pain of previous broken promises in her eyes. The undisguised fear of where she was going, the terror of what she might find, the dread of the fight she had in front of her. The thought that she was likely walking into the night and towards her own destruction. But she was going to do it, would do it over and over, for the chance, however small, that she could find Emilie.

"There are some things that are impossible to promise," she told Chat, her voice calm, resigned.

"And there are some things that are only possible because of a promise," Chat replied, equally calm. Nooroo flew to him as he spoke, cuddling against his chest for a few seconds before returning to Valerie, where she began wiping her tears. "Promise me," Chat requested a third time.

"Valerie," Nooroo encouraged. "You know he's right. There is a strength in it."

"I will come back," Valerie began, quietly at first but her voice gaining force and intensity as she went on, the power of her words like a spell of protection. "I will find Emilie, defeat Nicolae, restore the Peacock Miraculous, set everything right, and return. I . . . promise."

Chat grabbed her tight again, whispering something to her that Ladybug couldn't hear. And then, as if she couldn't stand it anymore, Valerie pulled away. In another moment, she and Master Fu had disappeared into the dark, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir alone in the abandoned apartment. Ladybug felt unsettled and unsteady, so she curled herself around Chat Noir's arm.

"Come on," Chat Noir said, reaching over to rub her shoulder. "I told your parents I'd bring you home."

They backtracked through their evening, past the stadium where things were starting to wind down, gathering Adrien's blanket, leaving Marinette's basket, and finally stopping in the entryway to Marinette's house, dropping spots and claws, standing still once again at the bottom of her stairs.

"Will you be all right?" Marinette asked, wondering if there would ever be a happiness for them in the future that wouldn't be tainted somehow by a past ache. Wondering too if her happiness weren't just that much more precious to her because of the pain she went through to get it.

"Of course," Adrien assured, almost sounding like he meant it. "I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow."

"Yeah," Marinette agreed softly. "Some crazy weekend, wasn't it?"

"You can say that again."

But she actually couldn't. Instead, she clasped her hands around his neck, hugging him close, calming as he hugged her back. Everything was changing all around them. Hawkmoth. Master Fu, Valerie and Nooroo. The hidden kwamis she was now responsible for. It felt as though Valerie really had been a storm, the first strike of lightning when she met her in the courtyard, and now the echo of thunder in the aftermath of her departure, leaving Marinette drenched and new.

"Whatever happens," she said. "We're together, right?"

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Adrien replied.

"You'll never have to find out."

He pulled back, holding her at arms length so he could see her face. There was hope in his eyes, kindness, affection. He held out his fist, making her smile as she recognized the gesture.

"Pound it," they said together, gently touching knuckles, the ritual of a battle won. Adrien kissed her good-night before bowing backward out her door. She waited until the latch closed before running up all the flights of stairs, calling a quick, "I'm home, give me a minute!" to her waiting parents, and leaping from her bed to the balcony just in time to see Chat Noir sprinting away across the rooftops on his way home.

And beyond that, for just a second, she thought she saw the shadow of wings against the moon. Zephyr – flying fast to somewhere unknown. The flap of the butterfly on its way to start another hurricane. The smallest actions initiating the greatest change.

"Good luck," Marinette whispered, a blessing and a wish.

 **The End**


End file.
